Homeschooling in Vermont: Burlington, Rutland, Montpelier, and Beyond

Vermont's small population means that home study communities vary significantly by region. What's available in Burlington looks nothing like what exists in rural Essex County. This post maps the practical home study landscape by Vermont's major population centers.

Burlington and South Burlington (Chittenden County)

Chittenden County is Vermont's largest population center and has the most developed home study infrastructure. Burlington and South Burlington together represent a meaningful concentration of home study families, which translates to more co-op options, more group activities, and more services.

What's available:

• Multiple informal co-ops operating at various grade levels. Facebook groups for "Burlington homeschool" or "Chittenden County homeschool" are the best current source — co-ops form and restructure frequently.
• Classical Conversations community in Chittenden County. If a classical education model interests you, there is almost certainly an active CC group within a reasonable drive.
• ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain for science field trips and educator programs
• Community Music School of Vermont for group music instruction
• University of Vermont resources — Burlington's proximity to UVM gives high school students dual enrollment access to a flagship research university, not just CCV
• Strong club sports infrastructure (soccer, hockey, lacrosse, Nordic skiing)
• South Burlington specifically has had ACT 46 consolidation pressures — some families withdrew from South Burlington USD in response to school changes, contributing to local home study growth

VHEN contacts for Chittenden County: VHEN (Vermont Home Education Network) maintains regional contact information. The Chittenden County contact is among the most active.

South Burlington and Burlington families operate under the same state law — there's no local variation in Vermont's home study requirements. The difference is access to resources, not legal requirements.

Rutland

Vermont's second-largest city has a smaller but consistent home study community. Rutland's home study population includes both faith-based and secular families, with some intersection in co-op activities.

What's available:

• Faith-based co-ops (several long-established groups connected to local churches)
• Secular informal groups — smaller than Chittenden County but present
• Rutland Recreation Department programs open to home study students
• Castleton University in Castleton (Rutland County) — accessible for dual enrollment for high schoolers, though CCV's Rutland location is the more practical dual enrollment option for most families
• Chaffee Art Center offers youth arts programs

Rutland's home study families have historically needed to be more self-organizing than Burlington families. If you move to Rutland for home study and don't find an existing co-op that fits, starting your own informal group of 3-4 families is a realistic and well-precedented option.

Montpelier, Barre, and Central Vermont

The state capital region has a home study community with a particular character. Montpelier's progressive culture has produced several secular, project-based, and nature-based learning groups. The Montpelier-Barre corridor is also more geographically accessible to families in Washington County and parts of Orange County.

What's available:

• Vermont History Museum in Montpelier — one of the best free educational resources in the state; education staff work with home study groups
• Strong secular and progressive home study community with a nature-education emphasis
• Vermont FEED and agricultural education programs accessible from the Montpelier area
• CCV Montpelier location for dual enrollment
• Vermont State Archives — primary source access for older students
• Several informal secular learning groups and outdoor education co-ops

The Montpelier community is notable for families interested in place-based and environmental education — the combination of proximity to state government, a strong progressive culture, and Vermont's outdoor resources makes it one of the most distinctive home study environments in the state.

Northern Vermont (Franklin, Lamoille, and Orleans Counties)

The St. Albans to Morrisville to Newport corridor has a sparser home study community but meaningful resources:

• Agricultural education through 4-H (particularly strong in Franklin County given dairy farming culture)
• VTVLC (Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative) is used by some families as a supplement or alternative
• Lake Champlain access for nature education (Franklin County)
• Smaller informal co-ops typically centered around 2-4 families

Northern Vermont families are often the most self-directed — expecting to build their own co-op rather than find an existing one.

Upper Valley (Windsor County) and Southeastern Vermont

The Upper Valley region around White River Junction, Windsor, and Woodstock draws home study families from both sides of the Connecticut River — Vermont and New Hampshire. This creates a larger effective community than Vermont population numbers alone suggest.

What's available:

• Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock for history field trips
• VINS Nature Center in Quechee for science programs
• Upper Valley co-op activity drawing on both Vermont and New Hampshire families
• Dartmouth-adjacent resources for older students pursuing advanced coursework

The southeastern Vermont counties (Windham, in particular) — Brattleboro and surrounds — have a distinctive arts and alternative education culture. Brattleboro's arts community produces music instruction, theater, and creative writing programs outside the school system. Brattleboro Music Center is a notable resource.

What's the Same Everywhere in Vermont

Regardless of where you live in Vermont, the legal requirements are identical:

• Notice of Intent filed with the Vermont Agency of Education (16 V.S.A. § 166b)
• 175 days of instruction annually
• Required subjects per 16 V.S.A. § 906 (reading, writing, math, citizenship/history/government, literature, sciences, fine arts, PE, health — PE/health/fine arts exempt at age 13+)
• Annual assessment using one of Vermont's approved methods
• No curriculum approval required from the state or the local district

The AOE processes all Vermont home study notifications centrally — you don't register with your town or your supervisory union. You register with the state.

If you're in the early stages of establishing your home study program — regardless of region — the sequence of steps matters more than local geography. Filing the Notice of Intent correctly and sequencing the public school withdrawal properly is the same process in Burlington as it is in Newport.

The Vermont Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the Notice of Intent filing, the 10-business-day waiting period, and the written withdrawal process for any Vermont school district. The legal groundwork is the same statewide — get it right and you're free to build the regional community that fits your family.

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