As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.
It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.6 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.
For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.
Stacker compiled a list of the best public high schools in Vermont using 2027 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students. You can read more about Niche's methodology here.
You may also like: Most popular boy names in the 80s in Vermont
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Proctor Junior/Senior High School
- Location: Greater Rutland County Supervisory Union, VT
- Enrollment: 116 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: C+
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. Missisquoi Valley Union Middle/High School
- Location: Missisquoi Valley School District No. 89, VT
- Enrollment: 759 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Danville School
- Location: Danville, VT
- Enrollment: 329 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
Joyseulay // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Arlington Memorial Middle/High School
- Location: Arlington School District, VT
- Enrollment: 202 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Brattleboro Union High School
- Location: Windham Southeast Unified School District Union School District No. 96, VT
- Enrollment: 705 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
You may also like: Coldest Decembers in Vermont since 1895
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. Peoples Academy
- Location: Lamoille South Unified School District Union School District No. 90, VT
- Enrollment: 282 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Mt. Abraham Union Middle/High School
- Location: Mt. Abraham Unified School District, VT
- Enrollment: 560 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. BFA Middle/High School Fairfax
- Location: Fairfax School District, VT
- Enrollment: 393 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
maroke // Shutterstock
9 / 25#17. Craftsbury Schools
- Location: Craftsbury Common, VT
- Enrollment: 207 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B-
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Rutland Senior High School
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. U-32 Middle & High School
- Location: Washington Central Unified School District Union School District No. 92, VT
- Enrollment: 647 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
12 / 25#14. Vergennes Union High School
- Location: Addison Northwest Unified Union School District #54, VT
- Enrollment: 245 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
maroke // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Middlebury Union High School
- Location: Addison Central Unified Union School District #55, VT
- Enrollment: 521 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Lake Region Union High School
- Location: Orleans, VT
- Enrollment: 353 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. Milton Senior High School
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Harwood Union High School
- Location: Harwood Unified Union School District #60, VT
- Enrollment: 556 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Montpelier High School
- Location: Montpelier Roxbury Public School District, VT
- Enrollment: 388 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Colchester High School
- Location: Colchester School District, VT
- Enrollment: 715 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. Essex High School
- Location: Essex Westford School District, VT
- Enrollment: 1,224 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Burlington Senior High School
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Woodstock Union High School
- Location: Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76, VT
- Enrollment: 440 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
Achira22 // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. Mt. Mansfield Union High School
- Location: Mount Mansfield Unified School District Union School District No. 401, VT
- Enrollment: 688 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Champlain Valley Union High School
- Location: Champlain Valley Unified School District, VT
- Enrollment: 1,251 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. Stowe High School
- Location: Stowe School District, VT
- Enrollment: 225 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. South Burlington High School
