Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SCHA vs VBK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SCHA returned +17.8% to VBK's +10.3%; 36% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $22.6bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF, and $22.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHA costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.5 points.
| Measure | SCHA | VBK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.8% | +10.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.9%, high on Jun 30, 2026 | 8.0%, high on Aug 17, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, SCHA as of Aug 31, 2026 and VBK as of Sep 30, 2026 | $22.6bn | $22.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 36% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 10.1% | 12.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 13, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 884 weekly returnsSCHA and VBK returned about the same: +545.8% and +554.0%. SCHA and VBK swung about the same: 21.0% and 21.1%. VBK fell slightly less at its worst: −37.1% to −40.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SCHA | VBK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +545.8% | +554.0% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.6% | +11.7% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +410.7% | +479.9% | VBK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.0% | 21.1% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.5% | 14.6% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.9% | −37.1% | VBK (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.56 | 0.56 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.80 | 0.81 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.28 | 0.31 | VBK (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 884 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SCHA and VBK hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
36% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SCHA and VBK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SCHA and VBK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SCHA follows Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index and VBK follows Morningstar US Small Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 36% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SCHA returned +17.8% and VBK +10.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SCHA
SCHA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 7% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,705 positions, with the top ten at 10.1%. It sat 7.9% below its high of Jun 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VBK
VBK tracks an index of Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 554 positions, with the top ten at 12.2%. It sat 8.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SCHA or VBK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SCHA returned +17.8% and VBK +10.3%.
- Which is cheaper, SCHA or VBK?
- SCHA is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, SCHA against VBK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/scha-vs-vbk
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