Vermont
U.S.
Rank
- Opportunity
- Innovation
- Policy Environment
Score:
50%
Grade:
F
Rank:
#51
There is no charter law in this state.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#8
Home to the oldest “voucher” program in the nation, the state supports private school tuition for students with no public school in their area.
Law enacted: 1869
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 6,000
Types of programs: Voucher
Voucher
Town Tuitioning Program
On June 2 2021, a monumental federal court ruling declared that students attending religious schools can no longer be denied eligibility to receive tuition assistance through the Town Tuitioning Program. That program was launched in 1869 and today serves roughly 6,000 students who live in towns that do not have public schools. Until now, tuition has been restricted to secular schools. Now that will change. There are geographical limitations, enrollment caps or household income limits to be eligible to participate.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#49
Student growth data and teacher effectiveness are not mandatory in teacher evaluation systems in the state; licensure advancement and renewals “are not based on evidence of teacher effectiveness.”
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 72%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 80%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 80%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 75%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 60%
Hiring 65%
Retaining Effective Teachers 55%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 58%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
50%
Grade:
F
Rank:
#51
There is no charter law in this state.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#8
Home to the oldest “voucher” program in the nation, the state supports private school tuition for students with no public school in their area.
Law enacted: 1869
Number of programs: 1
Statewide Participation: 6,000
Types of programs: Voucher
Voucher
Town Tuitioning Program
On June 2 2021, a monumental federal court ruling declared that students attending religious schools can no longer be denied eligibility to receive tuition assistance through the Town Tuitioning Program. That program was launched in 1869 and today serves roughly 6,000 students who live in towns that do not have public schools. Until now, tuition has been restricted to secular schools. Now that will change. There are geographical limitations, enrollment caps or household income limits to be eligible to participate.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#49
Student growth data and teacher effectiveness are not mandatory in teacher evaluation systems in the state; licensure advancement and renewals “are not based on evidence of teacher effectiveness.”
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 72%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 80%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 80%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 75%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 60%
Hiring 65%
Retaining Effective Teachers 55%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 58%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 65%
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#26
The Vermont Agency of Education supports the expansion of digital learning in the state, stating “The Education Quality Standards specify that digital and technology resources be maintained and expanded as needed and that access to technology be provided to support students in meeting or exceeding standards.” Vermont has a state digital learning plan as well as Technology Standards for students to prepare students for college and career. The GoOpen Initiative supports the use of Open Education Resources in classrooms. For more information, click here.
Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative is a state virtual school that opened in 2010 offering over 300 online courses to students. The school has both part-time and full-time diploma programs, and approximately 1,500 students from 70 schools in the state are enrolled.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Vermont can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
Vermont implemented the Flexible Pathways Initiative, benefiting secondary education students in the state. School districts must offer high school students various pathways of learning including workforce development and virtual learning, and schools must create personalized learning plans for every middle and high school student.

On March 15, schools were closed in response to the COVID-19 crisis and did not open again for the remainder of the school year. Vermont worked to ensure all students could continue learning remotely, and created a website with information and resources for families, teachers, and administrators.
The state was ahead of the curve since it already had a virtual learning option and scaled up in response to the COVID-19 crisis and provided the option at no cost to districts. As a result, students here have been able to continue learning. The state also ensured students had access to the internet, but not devices, an area that could have used improvement.
On July 28, the state announced schools would begin September 8, and Gov. Scott encouraged districts to offer in-person instruction “to the greatest extent possible,” but virtual instruction or a hybrid model was also supported. The decision was left to the districts, with guidelines for reopening provided here by the state.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#26
The Vermont Agency of Education supports the expansion of digital learning in the state, stating “The Education Quality Standards specify that digital and technology resources be maintained and expanded as needed and that access to technology be provided to support students in meeting or exceeding standards.” Vermont has a state digital learning plan as well as Technology Standards for students to prepare students for college and career. The GoOpen Initiative supports the use of Open Education Resources in classrooms. For more information, click here.
Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative is a state virtual school that opened in 2010 offering over 300 online courses to students. The school has both part-time and full-time diploma programs, and approximately 1,500 students from 70 schools in the state are enrolled.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Vermont can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
Vermont implemented the Flexible Pathways Initiative, benefiting secondary education students in the state. School districts must offer high school students various pathways of learning including workforce development and virtual learning, and schools must create personalized learning plans for every middle and high school student.

On March 15, schools were closed in response to the COVID-19 crisis and did not open again for the remainder of the school year. Vermont worked to ensure all students could continue learning remotely, and created a website with information and resources for families, teachers, and administrators.
The state was ahead of the curve since it already had a virtual learning option and scaled up in response to the COVID-19 crisis and provided the option at no cost to districts. As a result, students here have been able to continue learning. The state also ensured students had access to the internet, but not devices, an area that could have used improvement.
On July 28, the state announced schools would begin September 8, and Gov. Scott encouraged districts to offer in-person instruction “to the greatest extent possible,” but virtual instruction or a hybrid model was also supported. The decision was left to the districts, with guidelines for reopening provided here by the state.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:

Phil Scott (R)
First term began in 2017 (two-year term; no term limit)
Governor Phil Scott is supportive of expanded education opportunities for families. Vermont is home to the oldest school choice program in America and one that has begun to expand thanks to being constitutionally upheld. He has proposed efforts to expand even further but needs to do a lot more to foster more innovative options, especially given that Vermont is one of only five states that doesn’t have a charter school law or expansive other opportunities.
The legislature in Vermont is not pro-education reform. Currently, the state is one of only a handful that has yet to pass a charter school law. Iit will take real leadership from the governor as well as vocal advocates to compel them to bring expanded educational opportunities to all families here.

Vermont does not have a Blaine Amendment, but its constitution “contains a Compelled Support Clause that the Vermont Supreme Court has read to exclude parents who choose religious schools from participating in the current voucher program.” (Institute for Justice)

Report cards are not easily accessible from Vermont’s Agency of Education website. There are three different places that provide school-level data: Vermont Education Dashboard, School Reports, and Vermont Annual Snapshot, and they are all located in various places on the website making it a confusing process for parents. After reviewing all three, the Vermont Annual Snapshot contains the best quantitative data on how schools are performing.
Under the Students tab parents can access educational opportunities on Dual Enrollment, Career and Technical Education and Adult Enrollment, and under Families there is information on home study and independent schools in the state.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.

Phil Scott (R)
First term began in 2017 (two-year term; no term limit)
Governor Phil Scott is supportive of expanded education opportunities for families. Vermont is home to the oldest school choice program in America and one that has begun to expand thanks to being constitutionally upheld. He has proposed efforts to expand even further but needs to do a lot more to foster more innovative options, especially given that Vermont is one of only five states that doesn’t have a charter school law or expansive other opportunities.
The legislature in Vermont is not pro-education reform. Currently, the state is one of only a handful that has yet to pass a charter school law. Iit will take real leadership from the governor as well as vocal advocates to compel them to bring expanded educational opportunities to all families here.

Vermont does not have a Blaine Amendment, but its constitution “contains a Compelled Support Clause that the Vermont Supreme Court has read to exclude parents who choose religious schools from participating in the current voucher program.” (Institute for Justice)

Report cards are not easily accessible from Vermont’s Agency of Education website. There are three different places that provide school-level data: Vermont Education Dashboard, School Reports, and Vermont Annual Snapshot, and they are all located in various places on the website making it a confusing process for parents. After reviewing all three, the Vermont Annual Snapshot contains the best quantitative data on how schools are performing.
Under the Students tab parents can access educational opportunities on Dual Enrollment, Career and Technical Education and Adult Enrollment, and under Families there is information on home study and independent schools in the state.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which usually means lower voter turnout.