Form N-Q VANGUARD EXPLORER FUND For: Jul 31

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-Q

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF
REGISTERED MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Vanguard Explorer Fund

Schedule of Investments (unaudited)
As of July 31, 2016

* Non-income-producing security.
^ Includes partial security positions on loan to broker-dealers. The total value of securities on loan is $154,825,000.
1 The fund invests a portion of its cash reserves in equity markets through the use of index futures contracts. After
giving effect to futures investments, the fund's effective common stock and temporary cash investment positions
represent 98.6% and 2.9%, respectively, of net assets.
2 Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities
of such company.
3 Considered an affiliated company of the fund as the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group.
4 Restricted security represents 0.0% of net assets.
5 Affiliated money market fund available only to Vanguard funds and certain trusts and accounts managed by
Vanguard. Rate shown is the 7-day yield.

6 Includes $163,552,000 of collateral received for securities on loan.
7 The issuer operates under a congressional charter; its securities are generally neither guaranteed by the U.S.
Treasury nor backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
8 Securities with a value of $6,297,000 have been segregated as initial margin for open futures contracts.
ADR—American Depositary Receipt.
CVR—Contingent Value Rights.
REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust.

A. 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 affected by events occurring before the fund's pricing time but after the close of the securities’ primary markets, are valued at their fair values calculated according to procedures adopted by the board of trustees. These procedures include obtaining quotations from an independent pricing service, monitoring news to identify significant market- or security-specific events, and evaluating changes in the values of foreign market proxies (for example, ADRs, futures contracts, or exchange-traded funds), between the time the foreign markets close and the fund's pricing time. When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a fund to calculate its net asset value may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Investments in Vanguard Market Liquidity Fund are valued at that fund’s net asset value. Temporary cash investments acquired over 60 days to maturity 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. Other temporary cash investments are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.

B. Foreign Currency: Securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from an independent third party as of the fund's pricing time on the valuation date. Realized gains (losses) and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment securities include the effects of changes in exchange rates since the securities were purchased, combined with the effects of changes in security prices. Fluctuations in the value of other assets and liabilities resulting from changes in exchange rates are recorded as unrealized foreign currency gains (losses) until the assets or liabilities are settled in cash, at which time they are recorded as realized foreign currency gains (losses).

C. Repurchase Agreements: The fund enters into repurchase agreements with institutional counterparties. Securities pledged as collateral to the fund under repurchase agreements are held by a custodian bank until the agreements mature. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal. The fund further mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into repurchase agreements only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, and entering into master repurchase agreements with its counterparties. The master repurchase agreements provide that, in the event of a counterparty's default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any repurchase agreements with that counterparty, determine the net amount owed, and sell or retain the collateral up to the net amount owed to the fund. Such action may be subject to legal proceedings, which may delay or limit the disposition of collateral.

D. Various inputs may be used to determine the value of the fund's investments. 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.

Explorer 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).

The following table summarizes the market value of the fund's investments as of July 31, 2016, based on the inputs used to value them:

E. Futures Contracts: The fund uses index futures contracts to a limited extent, with the objective of maintaining full exposure to the stock market while maintaining liquidity. The fund may purchase or sell futures contracts to achieve a desired level of investment, whether to accommodate portfolio turnover or cash flows from capital share transactions. 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.

Futures contracts are valued at their quoted daily settlement prices. The aggregate settlement values of the contracts are not recorded in the Schedule of Investments. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded as an asset (liability).

At July 31, 2016, the aggregate settlement value of open futures contracts and the related unrealized appreciation (depreciation) were:

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open futures contracts is required to be treated as realized gain (loss) for tax purposes.

Explorer Fund

F. At July 31, 2016, the cost of investment securities for tax purposes was $9,630,638,000. Net unrealized appreciation of investment securities for tax purposes was $1,765,689,000, consisting of unrealized gains of $2,341,195,000 on securities that had risen in value since their purchase and $575,506,000 in unrealized losses on securities that had fallen in value since their purchase.

G. Certain of the fund's investments are in companies that are considered to be affiliated companies of the fund because the fund owns more than 5% of the outstanding voting securities of the company or the issuer is another member of The Vanguard Group. Transactions during the period in securities of these companies were as follows:

Item 2: Controls and Procedures

(a) Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Principal Executive and Financial Officers concluded that the Registrant’s Disclosure Controls and Procedures are effective based on their evaluation of the Disclosure Controls and Procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

(b) Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. During the last fiscal quarter, there was no significant change in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 3: Exhibits

(a) Certifications

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.