Investment objective & strategy
As of Feb. 27, 2026 · prospectusObjective. Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund (the Fund) seeks to track the performance of a benchmark index that measures the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market.
Strategy. The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Target Index), which measures the performance of the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market as determined by the Index Provider. The Target Index includes municipal bonds issued by states, local governments, or agencies whose interest is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes and the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). Bonds issued by U.S. territories and commonwealths are excluded from the Target Index, as are certain other bonds as determined by the Index Provider. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the … The Fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index (the Target Index), which measures the performance of the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market as determined by the Index Provider. The Target Index includes municipal bonds issued by states, local governments, or agencies whose interest is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes and the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). Bonds issued by U.S. territories and commonwealths are excluded from the Target Index, as are certain other bonds as determined by the Index Provider. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the bonds that make up the Target Index. The Fund also has a fundamental policy to, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities whose income is exempt from federal income taxes, including the federal AMT. The Fund invests by sampling the Target Index, meaning that it holds a range of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full Target Index in terms of key risk factors and other characteristics. To be eligible for inclusion in the Target Index, a bond must have a rating of at least investment-grade, as determined by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization. The Fund seeks to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity consistent with that of the Target Index. As of October 31, 2025, the dollar-weighted average maturity of the Target Index was 13.9 years. The Fund may become nondiversified, as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940, solely as a result of tracking an index. This could occur due to events such as an index rebalance or market movement. A nondiversified fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of particular issuers as compared with diversified funds.
Top holdings
As of Jan. 31, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Municipal Cash Management Fund | — | $408.22M | 0.88% |
| NYC-D4 | — | $60.02M | 0.13% |
| UNIV OF CALIFORNIA CA REVENUES REGD N/C B/E 5.00000000 | UNVHGR | $56.82M | 0.12% |
| MARYLAND ST-B-REF | — | $56.10M | 0.12% |
| TRIBOROUGH NY BRIDGE & TUNNEL AUTH PAYROLL MOBILITY TAX | — | $52.68M | 0.11% |
| SOUTH CAROLINA ST ASSN OF GOVTL ORGANIZATIONS COPS | — | $51.17M | 0.11% |
| State of California, Series 2007 | — | $50.71M | 0.11% |
| State of Colorado, Series B | — | $50.56M | 0.11% |
| NYC TRANSITIONAL-A-1 | — | $45.32M | 0.10% |
| PENNSYLVANIA ST HGR EDUCTNL FA PASHGR 11/61 ADJUSTABLE VAR | — | $40.00M | 0.09% |
Portfolio moves
Oct 31, 2025 → Jan 31, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Schwab Municipal Bond ETF · SCMB | 29% | 0.03% |
| VANGUARD INTERMEDIATE-TERM TAX-EXEMPT BOND ETF · VTEI | 27% | 0.08% |
| Invesco National AMT-Free Municipal Bond ETF · PZA | 26% | 0.28% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of February 27, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of January 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
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