Founded in 1997, Vermont Commons School is an independent, college-preparatory school, located in South Burlington, Vermont for students in grades 6 - 12.
At Vermont Commons School, we believe in engagement; engagement in our school community, in academic classes, in the natural world, in our towns, our state, the country and the world at large. Through small classes and individualized curriculum, mini-buses and public transit, projects both local and international, we engage students in multi-disciplinary academics, in community service and action, and most importantly, in the journey of self-discovery.
VCS is proud to educate students who are academically motivated and intellectually curious.
The average class size is 12-14, 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 30% 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 2020 academic year is 105 students.
Club or Organization: Amnesty International, Book Club, German Conversation Club, Junior Iron Chef, Model United Nations, Racial Justice Alliance, Robotics Club
Arts and Music Programs: Jazz Band
Recreational Athletic Programs: Alpine Skiing
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 6 - 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. 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.
Grades: NS-8 | 194 students2.4 miles 136 Locust St Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 862-6696
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NS-8
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School Reviews
5.00 out of 5(3 reviews)
57/21/2021
My child attended Vermont Commons for 5 years. It was a positive experience from start to finish. The faculty challenged her, appreciated her, and saw her for who she was as a student and person. The student body is an energetic collective of scholars. Encounter Weeks are fabulous learning opportunities for students to explore the world - and their place in it. Overall, it was the best high school journey we could have had as a family. AND she is well prepared for and loving college. Thank you VCS!
- Posted by Parent - Parent of '20 graduate
55/17/2016
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 - molly
57/24/2015
My child loves attending Vermont Commons, great teachers who are thoughtful and creative. The program is rigorous and my child works hard, but the end result is that she is happy! Great college placement, too.
- Posted by Parent - rubys
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With so much uncertainty in the world today and a pandemic further confounding our lives, it's reasonable for parents to want to protect their children whenever and wherever possible? But overprotecting or bubble-wrapping? Well, that's another matter.
