Vermont Commons School

75 Green Mountain Drive, South Burlington, VT, 05403-0540
Founded in 1997, Vermont Commons School is an independent, college-preparatory school, located in South Burlington, Vermont for students in grades 7 - 12. With an emphasis on academic rigor and innovation, skills, and creativity, the program at Vermont Commons features faculty who use 21st Century teaching methodologies and encourage environmental responsibility. VCS is proud to educate students who are academically motivated and intellectually curious. The average class size is 12, and each year 100% of the graduating class gains acceptance to college. The school primarily serves students from the greater Chittenden County area, although some students travel from as far away as Middlebury, Waitsfield, towns along the Canadian border and Plattsburgh, New York. Approximately 25% of the student body receives need-based financial aid to attend the school. Courses are offered on a semester and yearlong basis. Enrollment for the 2012 - 2013 academic year is 80 students.

School Overview:

Vermont Commons School
School Membership(s) National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Religious Affiliation Nonsectarian
Grades Offered Grades 7 - 12
Year Founded 1997
Student Body
Total Students 80 students
Student Body Type Co-ed
Students by Grade
 
Academics and Faculty
Total Classroom Teachers 15 teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio 6:1 (National school avg.: 13:1)
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree 95%
Average Class Size 12 students
Advanced Courses
Environmental Science Spanish
Average SAT score 1854
Average ACT score 29
Classroom dress code Casual
Finances and Admission
Admission Deadline Feb. 1 / rolling
Yearly Tuition Cost $18,900
Tuition Notes Price for the 2012 - 2013 academic year: Grades 7 - 8: $18,900 Grades 9 - 12: $21,995
% on Financial Aid 25%
Admissions Director Sarah Soule
Sports
Total Sports Offered 5 sports
Sports
Basketball Sailing
Soccer Ultimate Frisbee
Volleyball

School Notes:

  • The academic program at Vermont Commons incorporates genuine life experiences with challenging academic offerings taught by a dynamic faculty, most of whom have advanced degrees. The central purpose of all academic activities is to provide students with exceptional skills, knowledge, and experiences in each academic discipline. Classes at VCS are writing intensive, hands-on, and focus on critical thinking skills across the curriculum. Students move from acquiring skills and understanding systems, to analyzing and communicating solutions.

    Vermont Commons presents a challenging college preparatory curriculum for grades 7 - 12. The curriculum offers courses in a variety of subjects and uses material in ever increasing depth and complexity throughout a student's career. At each stage in the process students enjoy strong mentoring relations with their teachers. By junior and senior year they experience the expectations of college level coursework. One semester of UVM's Calculus 21 is taught over the course of one year, enabling our students to earn four college credits, which are transferrable to other institutions. We offer a Contract Honors Program, which was implemented at the onset of the 2012-2013 academic year, and this program is an opportunity for students to gain extra challenge, complexity, and coursework in grades 10-12. Students "contract" for additional studies and earn an Honors designation for that course on their transcript. 

  • Profile last updated: 01/28/2013

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Nearby Schools:

Vermont Commons School
Gr. 7-12 | 0 mi. away
The Baird School
Gr. 2-9 | 1.3 mi. away
The Schoolhouse
Gr. K-7 | 1.8 mi. away
Rice Memorial High School
Gr. 9-12 | 1.8 mi. away
Christ The King School
Gr. K-9 | 2.4 mi. away
Lake Champlain Waldorf School
Gr. PK-12 | 3.2 mi. away

View all schools in: South Burlington, Chittenden County, Zip 05403

School Reviews:

  • Recommended December 11,2012 - Vermont Commons School has made a huge difference in my son''s life. He was not particularly motivated by the academics or his peers at our public high school. At VCS he has become engaged in the academics which are more rigorous, more thought-provoking, and more fun than what he had before. The teachers are passionate about the subjects they teach and they are there to help the students learn and grow. He has close friends now. The sports program is perfect for him. The basketball team is coed and all the kids practice and play. He signed up for it happily and he is in better shape and healthier due to the program. He went on a school trip canoeing in the Adirondacks for a week which again was both fum and good exercise. He is getting a solid base for college both in terms of a wholesome community in which to thrive and academics in which he is given college level assignments.*-Posted by Parent *
  • Recommended December 11,2012 - Our son was neither happy nor challenged academically at the local public school. He is thriving at Vermont Commons. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and dedicated to their students. They encourage high order thinking in the assignments they give. The sports program is perfect for him. He plays on the basketball team which is inclusive and great exercise. The sense of community throughout the school is strong and warm.*-Posted by Parent *

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