Vanguard Small Cap Growth Index Fund (VBK) N-CSRCertified annual shareholder report (management investment company)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT

OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-02652

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (610) 669-1000

Date of fiscal year end: December 31

Date of reporting period: January 1, 2020-December 31, 2020

Item 1: Reports to Shareholders

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the front of this report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

•    For the 12 months ended December 31, 2020, returns for Vanguard 500 Index Fund ranged from 18.25% for Investor Shares to 18.40% for Institutional Select Shares, closely tracking its target index, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. The fund provides exposure to the stocks of the largest U.S. companies.

•    The period was marked by the global spread of COVID-19 and efforts to contain it. Responses from policymakers, the creation and initial distribution of vaccines, and the easing of some restrictions lifted investor sentiment, and stock markets hit highs in December. After an initial period of high volatility and low liquidity in the bond markets, yields fell and prices rose amid unprecedented actions taken by governments and central banks to blunt the virus’s economic impact.

•    Information technology, consumer discretionary, communication services, and health care stocks contributed most to returns; energy and financials detracted most.

•    For the ten years ended December 31, 2020, Investor, Admiral, and ETF Shares of the 500 Index Fund posted average annual returns of more than 13%. Institutional Select Shares recorded an annualized return of 16.77% since their 2016 inception.

Market Barometer

About Your Fund’s Expenses

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur ongoing costs, which include costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports (like this one), among others. Operating expenses, which are deducted from a fund’s gross income, directly reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets. This figure is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period.

The accompanying table illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

•   Based on actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses that you paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the fund’s actual return, and the third column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the fund. You may use the information here, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period.

To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

•   Based on hypothetical 5% yearly return. This section is intended to help you compare your fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the fund had a yearly return of 5% before expenses, but that the expense ratio is unchanged. In this case—because the return used is not the fund’s actual return—the results do not apply to your investment. The example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on a 5% return. You can assess your fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

Note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight and help you compare ongoing costs only and do not reflect transaction costs incurred by the fund for buying and selling securities. Further, the expenses do not include any purchase, redemption, or account service fees described in the fund prospectus. If such fees were applied to your account, your costs would be higher. Your fund does not carry a “sales load.”

The calculations assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Your actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of your investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

You can find more information about the fund’s expenses, including annual expense ratios, in the Financial Statements section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to your fund’s current prospectus.

Six Months Ended December 31, 2020

The calculations are based on expenses incurred in the most recent six-month period. The fund’s annualized six-month expense ratios for that period are 0.14% for Investor Shares, 0.03% for ETF Shares, 0.04% for Admiral Shares, and 0.01% for Institutional Select Shares. The dollar amounts shown as “Expenses Paid” are equal to the annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent six-month period, then divided by the number of days in the most recent 12-month period (184/366).

500 Index Fund

Performance Summary

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at vanguard.com/performance.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

Cumulative Performance: December 31, 2010, Through December 31, 2020 

Initial Investment of $10,000

		Average Annual Total Returns Periods Ended December 31, 2020
		One Year	Five Years	Ten Years	Final Value of a $10,000 Investment
	500 Index Fund Investor Shares	18.25%	15.07%	13.72%	$36,187
	S&P 500 Index	18.40	15.22	13.88	36,700
	Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index	20.79	15.36	13.74	36,240

See Financial Highlights for dividend and capital gains information.

500 Index Fund

“Since Inception” performance is calculated from the Institutional Select Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standard(s).

Cumulative Returns of ETF Shares: December 31, 2010, Through December 31, 2020

For the ETF Shares, the market price is determined by the midpoint of the bid-offer spread as of the closing time of the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time). The net asset value is also determined as of the NYSE closing time. For more information about how the ETF Shares’ market prices have compared with their net asset value, visit vanguard.com, select your ETF, and then select the Price and Performance tab. The ETF premium/discount analysis there shows the percentages of days on which the ETF Shares’ market price was above or below the NAV.

500 Index Fund

Fund Allocation 

As of December 31, 2020

The table reflects the fund’s investments, except for short-term investments and derivatives. Sector categories are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”), except for the “Other” category (if applicable), which includes securities that have not been provided a GICS classification as of the effective report-ing period.

The fund may invest in derivatives (such as futures and swap contracts) for various reasons, including, but not limited to, at-tempting to remain fully invested and tracking its target index as closely as possible.

The Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) was developed by and is the exclusive property and a service mark of MSCI Inc. (“MSCI”) and Standard and Poor’s, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), and is licensed for use by Vanguard. Neither MSCI, S&P nor any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such standard or classification (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof), and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to any such standard or classification. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, S&P, any of its affiliates or any third party involved in making or compiling the GICS or any GICS classification have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.

500 Index Fund

Financial Statements

Schedule of Investments

As of December 31, 2020

The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

500 Index Fund

500 Index Fund

500 Index Fund

500 Index Fund

500 Index Fund

500 Index Fund

Cost is in $000.

REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust.

500 Index Fund

1M—1-month.

BOANA—Bank of America, N.A.

GSI—Goldman Sachs International.

At December 31, 2020, a counterparty had deposited in a segregated account securities with a value of $1,902,000 in connection with over-the-counter swap contracts. After December 31, 2020, the counterparty posted additional collateral of $4,710,000 in connection with open over-the-counter swap contracts as of December 31, 2020.

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

As of December 31, 2020

500 Index Fund

Statement of Assets and Liabilities (continued)

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Statement of Operations

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Financial Highlights

Investor Shares

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Financial Highlights

ETF Shares

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Financial Highlights

Admiral Shares

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Financial Highlights

Institutional Select Shares

See accompanying Notes, which are an integral part of the Financial Statements.

500 Index Fund

Notes to Financial Statements

Vanguard 500 Index Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as an open-end investment company, or mutual fund. The fund offers four classes of shares: Investor Shares, ETF Shares, Admiral Shares, and Institutional Select Shares. Each of the share classes has different eligibility and minimum purchase requirements, and is designed for different types of investors. ETF Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca; they can be purchased and sold through a broker.

Market disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have had a global impact, and uncertainty exists as to the long-term implications. Such disruptions can adversely affect assets of the fund and thus fund performance.

A. The following significant accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles for U.S. investment companies. The fund consistently follows such policies in preparing its financial statements.

1. Security Valuation: Securities are valued as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time) on the valuation date. Equity securities are valued at the latest quoted sales prices or official closing prices taken from the primary market in which each security trades; such securities not traded on the valuation date are valued at the mean of the latest quoted bid and asked prices. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or whose values have been materially affected by events occurring before the fund’s pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued by methods deemed by the board of trustees to represent fair value. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value. Temporary cash investments are valued using the latest bid prices or using valuations based on a matrix system (which considers such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, and ratings), both as furnished by independent pricing services.

2. Futures Contracts: The fund uses index futures contracts to a limited extent, with the objectives of maintaining full exposure to the stock market, maintaining liquidity, and minimizing transaction costs. The fund may purchase futures contracts to immediately invest incoming cash in the market, or sell futures in response to cash outflows, thereby simulating a fully invested position in the underlying index while maintaining a cash balance for liquidity. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are imperfect correlation between changes in market values of stocks held by the fund and the prices of futures contracts, and the possibility of an illiquid market. Counterparty risk involving futures is mitigated because a regulated clearinghouse is the counterparty instead of the clearing broker. To further mitigate counterparty risk, the fund trades futures contracts on an exchange, monitors the financial strength of its clearing brokers and clearinghouse, and has entered into clearing agreements with its clearing brokers. The clearinghouse imposes initial margin requirements to secure the fund’s performance and requires daily settlement of variation margin representing changes in the market value of each contract. Any securities pledged as initial margin for open contracts are noted in the Schedule of Investments.

Futures contracts are valued at their quoted daily settlement prices. The notional amounts of the contracts are not recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as an asset (liability) and in the Statement of Operations as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) until the contracts are closed, when they are recorded as realized gains (losses) on futures contracts.

500 Index Fund

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the fund’s average investments in long and short futures contracts represented less than 1% and 0% of net assets, respectively, based on the average of the notional amounts at each quarter-end during the period.

3. Swap Contracts: The fund has entered into equity swap contracts to earn the total return on selected reference stocks in the fund’s target index. Under the terms of the swaps, the fund receives the total return on the referenced stock (i.e., receiving the increase or paying the decrease in value of the selected reference stock and receiving the equivalent of any dividends in respect of the selected referenced stock) over a specified period of time, applied to a notional amount that represents the value of a designated number of shares of the selected reference stock at the beginning of the equity swap contract. The fund also pays a floating rate that is based on short-term interest rates, applied to the notional amount. At the same time, the fund generally invests an amount approximating the notional amount of the swap in high-quality temporary cash investments.

A risk associated with all types of swaps is the possibility that a counterparty may default on its obligation to pay net amounts due to the fund. The fund’s maximum amount subject to counterparty risk is the unrealized appreciation on the swap contract. The fund mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into swaps only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, entering into master netting arrangements with its counterparties, and requiring its counterparties to transfer collateral as security for their performance. In the absence of a default, the collateral pledged or received by the fund cannot be repledged, resold, or rehypothecated. In the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any swap contracts with that counterparty, determine the net amount owed by either party in accordance with its master netting arrangements, and sell or retain any collateral held up to the net amount owed to the fund under the master netting arrangements. The swap contracts contain provisions whereby a counterparty may terminate open contracts if the fund’s net assets decline below a certain level, triggering a payment by the fund if the fund is in a net liability position at the time of the termination. The payment amount would be reduced by any collateral the fund has pledged. Any securities pledged as collateral for open contracts are noted in the Schedule of Investments. The value of collateral received or pledged is compared daily to the value of the swap contracts exposure with each counterparty, and any difference, if in excess of a specified minimum transfer amount, is adjusted and settled within two business days.

The notional amounts of swap contracts are not recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Swaps are valued daily based on market quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers and the change in value is recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as an asset (liability) and in the Statement of Operations as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) until periodic payments are made or the termination of the swap, at which time realized gain (loss) is recorded.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the fund’s average amounts of investments in total return swaps represented less than 1% of net assets, based on the average of notional amounts at each quarter-end during the period.

500 Index Fund

4. Federal Income Taxes: The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income. The fund’s tax returns are open to examination by the relevant tax authorities until expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which is generally three years after the filing of the tax return. Management has analyzed the fund’s tax positions taken for all open federal and state income tax years, and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the fund’s financial statements.

5. Distributions: Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined on a tax basis at the fiscal year-end and may differ from net investment income and realized capital gains for financial reporting purposes.

6. Securities Lending: To earn additional income, the fund lends its securities to qualified institutional borrowers. Security loans are subject to termination by the fund at any time, and are required to be secured at all times by collateral in an amount at least equal to the market value of securities loaned. Daily market fluctuations could cause the value of loaned securities to be more or less than the value of the collateral received. When this occurs, the collateral is adjusted and settled before the opening of the market on the next business day. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into securities lending transactions only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master securities lending agreements with its counterparties. The master securities lending agreements provide that, in the event of a counter-party’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any loans with that borrower, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund; however, such actions may be subject to legal proceedings. While collateral mitigates counterparty risk, in the event of a default, the fund may experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned. The fund invests cash collateral received in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund, and records a liability in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the return of the collateral, during the period the securities are on loan. Collateral investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are subject to market appreciation or depreciation. Securities lending income represents fees charged to borrowers plus income earned on invested cash collateral, less expenses associated with the loan. During the term of the loan, the fund is entitled to all distributions made on or in respect of the loaned securities.

7. Credit Facilities and Interfund Lending Program: The fund and certain other funds managed by The Vanguard Group (“Vanguard”) participate in a $4.3 billion committed credit facility provided by a syndicate of lenders pursuant to a credit agreement and an uncommitted credit facility provided by Vanguard. Both facilities may be renewed annually. Each fund is individually liable for its borrowings, if any, under the credit facilities. Borrowings may be utilized for temporary or emergency purposes, subject to the fund’s regulatory and contractual borrowing restrictions. With respect to the committed credit facility, the participating funds are charged administrative fees and an annual commitment fee of 0.10% of the undrawn committed amount of the facility; these fees are allocated to the funds based on a method approved by the fund’s board of trustees and included in Management and Administrative expenses on the fund’s Statement of Operations. Any borrowings under either facility bear interest at a rate based upon the higher of the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (or an acceptable alternate rate, if necessary), federal funds effective rate, or overnight bank funding rate plus an agreed-upon spread, except that borrowings under the uncommitted credit facility may bear interest based upon an alternative rate agreed to by the fund and Vanguard.

500 Index Fund

In accordance with an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the SEC, the fund may participate in a joint lending and borrowing program that allows registered open-end Vanguard funds to borrow money from and lend money to each other for temporary or emergency purposes (the “Interfund Lending Program”), subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Order, and to the extent permitted by the fund’s investment objective and investment policies. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one business day’s notice. The interest rate to be charged is governed by the conditions of the Order and internal procedures adopted by the board of trustees. The board of trustees is responsible for overseeing the Interfund Lending Program.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the fund did not utilize the credit facilities or the Interfund Lending Program.

8. Other: Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at the fair value of the securities received. Interest income includes income distributions received from Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund and is accrued daily. Premiums and discounts on debt securities are amortized and accreted, respectively, to interest income over the lives of the respective securities, except for premiums on certain callable debt securities that are amortized to the earliest call date. Security transactions are accounted for on the date securities are bought or sold. Costs used to determine realized gains (losses) on the sale of investment securities are those of the specific securities sold.

Each class of shares has equal rights as to assets and earnings, except that each class separately bears certain class-specific expenses related to maintenance of shareholder accounts (included in Management and Administrative expenses) and shareholder reporting. Marketing and distribution expenses are allocated to each class of shares based on a method approved by the board of trustees. Income, other non-class-specific expenses, and gains and losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.

B. In accordance with the terms of a Funds’ Service Agreement (the “FSA”) between Vanguard and the fund, Vanguard furnishes to the fund investment advisory, corporate management, administrative, marketing, and distribution services at Vanguard’s cost of operations (as defined by the FSA). These costs of operations are allocated to the fund based on methods and guidelines approved by the board of trustees and are generally settled twice a month.

Upon the request of Vanguard, the fund may invest up to 0.40% of its net assets as capital in Vanguard. At December 31, 2020, the fund had contributed to Vanguard capital in the amount of $24,389,000, representing less than 0.01% of the fund’s net assets and 9.75% of Vanguard’s capital received pursuant to the FSA. The fund’s trustees and officers are also directors and employees, respectively, of Vanguard.

C. Various inputs may be used to determine the value of the fund’s investments and derivatives. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels for financial statement purposes. The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

500 Index Fund

Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2—Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).

Level 3—Significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments). Any investments and derivatives valued with significant unobservable inputs are noted on the Schedule of Investments.

The following table summarizes the market value of the fund’s investments and derivatives as of December 31, 2020, based on the inputs used to value them:

D. Permanent differences between book-basis and tax-basis components of net assets are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. These reclassifications have no effect on net assets or net asset value per share. As of period end, permanent differences primarily attributable to the accounting for in-kind redemptions and swap agreements were reclassified between the following accounts:

Temporary differences between book-basis and tax-basis components of total distributable earnings (loss) arise when certain items of income, gain, or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future.

500 Index Fund

The differences are primarily related to the deferral of losses from wash sales and the recognition of unrealized gains or losses from certain derivative contracts. As of period end, the tax-basis components of total distributable earnings (loss) are detailed in the table as follows:

The tax character of distributions paid was as follows:

* Includes short-term capital gains, if any.

As of December 31, 2020, gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for investments and derivatives based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:

E. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the fund purchased $78,420,130,000 of investment securities and sold $67,908,919,000 of investment securities, other than temporary cash investments. Purchases and sales include $51,823,432,000, and $43,532,709,000, respectively, in connection with in-kind purchases and redemptions of the fund’s capital shares.

500 Index Fund

F. Capital share transactions for each class of shares were:

G. Management has determined that no events or transactions occurred subsequent to December 31, 2020, that would require recognition or disclosure in these financial statements.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees of Vanguard Index Funds and Shareholders of Vanguard 500 Index Fund

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, of Vanguard 500 Index Fund (one of the funds constituting Vanguard Index Funds, referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of December 31, 2020, the related statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2020, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2020, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2020 and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2020 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers and by agreement to the underlying ownership records of the transfer agent; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in The Vanguard Group of Funds since 1975.

Special 2020 tax information (unaudited) for Vanguard 500 Index Fund

This information for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, is included pursuant to provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

The fund distributed $9,830,085,000 of qualified dividend income to shareholders during the fiscal year.

For corporate shareholders, 94.9% of investment income (dividend income plus short-term gains, if any) qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global, or its affiliates (“SPDJI”), and has been licensed for use by Vanguard. Standard & Poor’s^®, and S&P^® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a division of S&P Global (“S&P”) and Dow Jones^® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”). The trademarks have been licensed to SPDJI and have been sublicensed for use for certain purposes by Vanguard. Vanguard 500 Index Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Vanguard 500 Index Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in Vanguard 500 Index Fund particularly or the ability of the S&P 500 Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to Vanguard with respect to the S&P 500 Index is the licensing of the Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The S&P 500 Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to Vanguard or the Vanguard 500 Index Fund. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of Vanguard or the owners of Vanguard 500 Index Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500 Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of Vanguard 500 Index Fund or the timing of the issuance or sale of Vanguard 500 Index Fund or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which Vanguard 500 Index Fund is to be converted into cash, surrendered or redeemed, as the case may be. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of Vanguard 500 Index Fund. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P 500 Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

S&P DOW JONES INDICES DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P 500 INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY VANGUARD, OWNERS OF THE VANGUARD 500 INDEX FUND, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE S&P 500 INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND VANGUARD, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.

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The People Who Govern Your Fund

The trustees of your mutual fund are there to see that the fund is operated and managed in your best interests since, as a shareholder, you are a part owner of the fund. Your fund’s trustees also serve on the board of directors of The Vanguard Group, Inc., which is owned by the Vanguard funds and provides services to them.

A majority of Vanguard’s board members are independent, meaning that they have no affiliation with Vanguard or the funds they oversee, apart from the sizable personal investments they have made as private individuals. The independent board members have distinguished backgrounds in business, academia, and public service. Each of the trustees and executive officers oversees 211 Vanguard funds.

Information for each trustee and executive officer of the fund appears below. That information, as well as the Vanguard fund count, is as of the date on the cover of this fund report. The mailing address of the trustees and officers is P.O. Box 876, Valley Forge, PA 19482. More information about the trustees is in the Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained, without charge, by contacting Vanguard at 800-662-7447, or online at vanguard.com.

Interested Trustee¹

Mortimer J. Buckley

Born in 1969. Trustee since January 2018. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: chairman of the board (2019–present) of Vanguard and of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard; chief executive officer (2018– present) of Vanguard; chief executive officer, president, and trustee (2018–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard; president and director (2017–present) of Vanguard; and president (2018–present) of Vanguard Marketing Corporation. Chief investment officer (2013–2017), managing director (2002–2017), head of the Retail Investor Group (2006–2012), and chief information officer (2001–2006) of Vanguard. Chairman of the board (2011–2017) and trustee (2009–2017) of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and trustee (2018–present) and vice chair (2019–present) of The Shipley School.

Independent Trustees

Emerson U. Fullwood
Born in 1948. Trustee since January 2008. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: executive chief staff and marketing officer for North America and corporate vice president (retired 2008) of Xerox Corporation (document management products and services). Former president of the Worldwide Channels Group, Latin America, and Worldwide Customer Service and executive chief staff officer of Developing Markets of Xerox. Executive in residence and 2009–2010 Distinguished Minett Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Director of SPX FLOW, Inc. (multi-industry manufacturing). Director of the University of Rochester Medical Center, the Monroe Community College Foundation, the United Way of Rochester, North Carolina A&T University, and Roberts Wesleyan College. Trustee of the University of Rochester.

Amy Gutmann
Born in 1949. Trustee since June 2006. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: president (2004–present) of the University of Pennsylvania. Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences, and professor of communication, Annenberg School for Communication, with secondary faculty appointments in the Department of Philosophy, School of Arts and Sciences, and at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

F. Joseph Loughrey
Born in 1949. Trustee since October 2009. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: president and chief operating officer (retired 2009) and vice chairman of the board (2008–2009) of Cummins Inc. (industrial machinery). Chairman of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc. (specialized consumer services) and the Lumina Foundation. Director of the V Foundation. Member of the advisory

council for the College of Arts and Letters and chair of the advisory board to the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, both at the University of Notre Dame.

Mark Loughridge
Born in 1953. Trustee since March 2012. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: senior vice president and chief financial officer (retired 2013) of IBM (information technology services). Fiduciary member of IBM’s Retirement Plan Committee (2004–2013), senior vice president and general manager (2002–2004) of IBM Global Financing, vice president and controller (1998–2002) of IBM, and a variety of other prior management roles at IBM. Member of the Council on Chicago Booth.

Scott C. Malpass
Born in 1962. Trustee since March 2012. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: chief investment officer (retired June 2020) and vice president (retired June 2020) of the University of Notre Dame. Assistant professor of finance at the Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, and member of the Notre Dame 403(b) Investment Committee (retired June 2020). Member of the board of Catholic Investment Services, Inc. (investment advisors) and the board of superintendence of the Institute for the Works of Religion.

Deanna Mulligan
Born in 1963. Trustee since January 2018. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: board chair (2020–present), chief executive officer (2011–2020), and president (2010–2019) of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Chief operating officer (2010–2011) and executive vice president (2008–2010) of the individual life and disability division of Guardian Life. Member of the board of the American Council of Life Insurers and the board of the Economic Club of New York. Trustee of the Partnership for New York City (business leadership), Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Catalyst, and the Bruce Museum (arts and science). Member of the Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

André F. Perold
Born in 1952. Trustee since December 2004. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: George Gund Professor of Finance and Banking, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School (retired 2011). Chief investment officer and co-managing partner of HighVista Strategies (private investment firm). Member of the board of advisors and member of the investment committee of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Member of the board (2018–present) of RIT Capital Partners (investment firm). Member of the investment committee of Partners Health Care System.

Sarah Bloom Raskin
Born in 1961. Trustee since January 2018. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: deputy secretary (2014–2017) of the United States Department of the Treasury. Governor (2010–2014) of the Federal Reserve Board. Commissioner (2007–2010) of financial regulation for the State of Maryland. Member of the board of directors (2012–2014) of Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. Director (2017–present) of i(x) Investments, LLC; director (2017–present) of Reserve Trust. Rubenstein Fellow (2017–present) of Duke University; trustee (2017–present) of Amherst College, and trustee (2019–present) of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Peter F. Volanakis
Born in 1955. Trustee since July 2009. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: president and chief operating officer (retired 2010) of Corning Incorporated (communications equipment) and director of Corning Incorporated (2000–2010) and Dow Corning (2001–2010). Director (2012) of SPX Corporation (multi-industry manufacturing). Overseer of the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College (2001–2013). Chairman of the board of trustees of Colby-Sawyer College. Member of the board of Hypertherm Inc. (industrial cutting systems, software, and consumables).

Executive Officers

John Bendl
Born in 1970. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Chief financial officer (2019–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Chief accounting officer, treasurer, and controller of Vanguard (2017–present). Partner (2003–2016) at KPMG (audit, tax, and advisory services).

Christine M. Buchanan
Born in 1970. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Treasurer (2017–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Partner (2005–2017) at KPMG (audit, tax, and advisory services).

David Cermak
Born in 1960. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Finance director (2019–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Managing director and head (2017–present) of Vanguard Investments Singapore. Managing director and head (2017–2019) of Vanguard Investments Hong Kong. Representative director and head (2014–2017) of Vanguard Investments Japan.

John Galloway
Born in 1973. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Investment stewardship officer (September 2020–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Head of Investor Advocacy (February 2020–present) and head of Marketing Strategy and Planning (2017–2020) at Vanguard. Deputy assistant to the President of the United States (2015).

Thomas J. Higgins
Born in 1957. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Finance director (2019–present), chief financial officer (2008–2019), and treasurer (1998–2008) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard.

Peter Mahoney
Born in 1974. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Controller (2015–present) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Head of International Fund Services (2008–2014) at Vanguard.

Anne E. Robinson
Born in 1970. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: general counsel (2016–present) of Vanguard. Secretary (2016–present) of Vanguard and of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Managing director (2016–present) of Vanguard. Managing director and general counsel of Global Cards and Consumer Services (2014–2016) at Citigroup. Counsel (2003–2014) at American Express.

Michael Rollings
Born in 1963. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: finance director (2017–present) and treasurer (2017) of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Managing director (2016–present) of Vanguard. Chief financial officer (2016–present) of Vanguard. Director (2016–present) of Vanguard Marketing Corporation. Executive vice president and chief financial officer (2006–2016) of MassMutual Financial Group.

John E. Schadl
Born in 1972. Principal occupation(s) during the past five years and other experience: principal of Vanguard. Chief compliance officer (2019–present) of Vanguard and of each of the investment companies served by Vanguard. Assistant vice president (2019–present) of Vanguard Marketing Corporation.

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This material may be used in conjunction with the offering of shares of any Vanguard fund only if preceded or accompanied by the fund’s current prospectus.

All comparative mutual fund data are from Morningstar, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

You can obtain a free copy of Vanguard’s proxy voting guidelines by visiting vanguard.com/proxyreporting or by calling Vanguard at 800-662-2739. The guidelines are also available from the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. In addition, you may obtain a free report on how your fund voted the proxies for securities it owned during the 12 months ended June 30. To get the report, visit either vanguard.com/proxyreporting or www.sec.gov.

You can review information about your fund on the SEC’s website, and you can receive copies of this information, for a fee, by sending a request via email addressed to publicinfo@sec.gov.

Source for Bloomberg Barclays indexes: Bloomberg Index Services Limited. Copyright 2021, Bloomberg. All rights reserved.

© 2021 The Vanguard Group, Inc.

All rights reserved.

U.S. Patent Nos. 6,879,964; 7,337,138;

7,720,749; 7,925,573; 8,090,646; 8,417,623; and 8,626,636.

Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

Q400 022021

Annual Report  |  December 31, 2020

Vanguard U.S. Stock Index Funds Small-Capitalization Portfolios

Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund

Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund

Vanguard Small-Cap Value Index Fund

Table of Contents

Small-Cap Index Fund

Performance Summary

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at vanguard.com/performance.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

Cumulative Performance: December 31, 2010, Through December 31, 2020

Initial Investment of $10,000

			Average Annual Total Returns Periods Ended December 31, 2020
		One Year	Five Years	Ten Years	Final Value of a $10,000 Investment
	Small-Cap Index Fund Investor Shares	18.96%	13.47%	11.86%	$30,677
	Spliced Small-Cap Index	19.07	13.58	11.98	31,002
	Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index	20.79	15.36	13.74	36,240

Spliced Small-Cap Index: Russell 2000 Index through May 16, 2003; MSCI US Small Cap 1750 Index through January 30, 2013; CRSP US Small Cap Index thereafter.

		One Year	Five Years	Ten Years	Final Value of a $10,000 Investment
Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares Net Asset Value		19.08%	13.60%	12.00%	$31,071
Small-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares Market Price		19.15	13.61	12.00	31,064
Spliced Small-Cap Index		19.07	13.58	11.98	31,002
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index		20.79	15.36	13.74	36,240

    

See Financial Highlights for dividend and capital gains information.

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