Burlington School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Burlington, Vermont - 9 schools

An equity score of 72/100 ranks Burlington School District #7 of 80 districts in Vermont (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $28,262 per pupil, Burlington School District ranks #7 of 102 Vermont districts by per-pupil spending (Vermont districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

3,500
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$28,262
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Burlington School District operates 9 public schools serving 3,500 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Vermont. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 2 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Chittenden County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $28,262 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 11 of 102 Vermont districts by per-pupil spending. See how Vermont compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 2.7% local, 84.6% state, and 12.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 72/100, ranked #7 of 80 in Vermont against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (9 AP courses district-wide), a 230.2:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 33.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 58.5% White, 18.7% African American, 7.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes, with a diversity index of 72.6/100.

Its largest campus is Burlington High School, enrolling 921 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Integrated Arts Academy at H. O. Wheeler, at 201 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Burlington High School accounts for 26.3% of all Burlington School District student enrollment

That concentration means Burlington School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Burlington School District school enrollment varies 4.6× across entities

Burlington School District school enrollment ranges from 201 students (lowest) to 921 students (highest), a spread of 720 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Burlington School District student-counselor ratio is 230:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Burlington School District chronic absenteeism rate is 33.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

12.7%
Federal
84.6%
State
2.7%
Local

Funding Equity

72
Equity Score
7 / 80
State Rank
51
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in Burlington School District.

White 58.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 18.7%
Asian 7.4%
Multiracial 8.9%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 59.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Burlington School District's schools, above the Vermont average of 19.5.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes 72.6
  2. 2 Integrated Arts Academy at H. O. Wheeler 67.0
  3. 3 Edmunds Elementary School 65.7
  4. 4 Edmunds Middle School 63.5
  5. 5 Burlington High School 58.8

Programs & Resources

1 / 9
Schools with AP
9 AP courses total
230.2:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
33.0%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Burlington School District

School Enrollment
Burlington High School
921
Champlain School
559
Edmunds Middle School
356
Lyman C. Hunt Middle School
322
J. J. Flynn School
292
Edmunds Elementary School
279
C. P. Smith School
255
Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes
213
Integrated Arts Academy at H. O. Wheeler
201

How Burlington School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Vermont districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union Sd #51 Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
South Burlington School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401 Smaller Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Burlington School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Vermont

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Burlington School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Burlington School District?

Burlington School District has 9 schools, including 1 high, 6 combined, 2 middle. Total enrollment is 3,500 students.

How much does Burlington School District spend per student?

Burlington School District spends $28,262 per student. The district has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #7 in Vermont.

What is the demographic composition of Burlington School District?

Burlington School District students are 58.5% White, 18.7% African American, 7.4% Asian, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Burlington School District?

Burlington School District has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #7 out of 80 districts in Vermont.