Vermont Athletic Academy Review

Great school. Beautiful campus. Lots of AP courses.

if I could give this school negative stars I would. I am less than impressed with the education here and they have unrealistic goals for the students, the teachers at this school have to care for there students and do noit want to help the students learn at all. after coming to this school i have met some of the most unhappy, negative, and disrespectful people i have ever met. if your thinking of sending your daughter here DONT! ive completely lost touch with all my child hood friends soem of which ive knownsince year four i havent spoken to my parent sin months, the only times we comunicate is when i visit my house. Overall i couldnt recomend not sending your child here anymore!

Amazing school providing an education that challenges students and helps them develop a love of learning! Small size means kids get individualized attention.

The JV GIRLS TENNIS TEAM is really bad here. Their players attitude was disrespectful and scornful. They kept swearing during the match.

A very good school. I would love to see my granddaughter go there in four years.

Love it. Transformed our son from disconnected and bored to excited about school and comfortable in his own skin. Serious academics with great support and excellent atheletics. Dorm life is fun and healthy. Small school allows for sincerely individual-kid-based program from each adult. We met them all (every one) and all are authentically caring. The college prep is also excellent, marbled into the program without taking over daily life happiness. Our son is thriving and we are thrilled.

I posted this review months ago, however it got lost; so I am posting it again. I was one of the good students at this school. I got great grades, rewards, friendships with students, they were excited to see me in the Winter and Spring.
However, it all ended in one week. In this week, a student cried to his parents about me, things that were not even true and one that was a trivial issue. I do not believe these were mistakes but false allegations to get me because I am different from most people. They then called the school to complain. So I was called to the Dean s Office on Monday. I was asked crazy questions like Is there KKK level extremist content on this computer? , then had my stuff searched based on those false rumors. I was dismissed two days later based on a single mistake I made.
My hiccup was far less extreme than the kids who beat each other up and use mean language, and they get to stay as students. I know that I had made a mistake on social media and I apologized for it; while many students have done far worse than me and have worse problems than me. This school has had many good aspects including being good to me on dismissal day. However, they still believe false accusations and follow hearsay evidence over truth and that is something that people should know about.

Our daughter entered as a sophomore boarding student and is now a senior. "Wow" is how my wife and I, as parents describe her continued personal growth and academic achievement. Small classes, dedicated instructors and staff, varied sports and clubs (having fun), all these at Vermont Academy have enabled our child to improve her academic performance each year. Imagine what that does for her confidence? We feel she is now very well prepared for college life as a young adult.

Home away from home!! We love VA almost as much as our daughter does who is in her JR Year

Best decision we have made for our kids has been sending them to Vermont Academy. Academically, they are thriving. The small class sizes and individual attention is invaluable. My kids also play sports. The basketball program is second to none.

Great boarding and it has a profound impact on your well-being and future career. The rules are strict but they teach you to grit and it makes you stronger. Highly recommend if an individual wants to get a different form of education.

This place is transformational. Small, caring, amazing faculty. Worth the investment.

I went there after being "asked" not to return my previous school (with justifiable reasons, family "issues" and more) in May. The next month I went to VA and got admitted. So ... in the early 1960s the qualifications for admission were not that strenuous. VA then was not well-endowed nor did it have a wide range of programs (no soccer, only football and XC in the fall; now it has no football (thank goodness), but it has soccer). The opportunities to leave the campus were very limited. A fellow student had a road bicycle, I believe he had to get special permission to go for a long bike ride on the weekends.
Basically, it was good to get away from metro NYC and my family. Plus, you have to make good with what you have.

Vermont Academy is a fantastic school. Remarkable faculty and staff all of whom are dedicated not only to academics, but also to the individual needs of each student. Small class sizes and an emphasis on critical, creative thinking foster students learning beyond a typical classroom. The sense of spirit & community is also outstanding. My son has had a brilliant experience at Vermont Academy.

Vermont Academy offers an engaging academic experience fostered by invested educators. VA challenges students to flex out of their comfort zone into a vast exploration of learning and discovery. The small student-teacher ratio enables a dynamic, holistic approach, developing a community that is culturally unique to each class. As new members of the VA family, during Parent's Weekend, we witnessed the students intrinsically motivated with a true sense of belonging. We are enthusiastic about our child's future knowing he will graduate from VA with a strong sense of self and continuously developing growth mindset.

Last year my son looked into but did not attend Vermont Academy. I write this review in hopes of offering some important things you'll want to consider if you choose to send your child here.

First, it's very easy to tell what a school's priorities are based on what gets maintained well and what doesn't. The hockey rink is pristine; the academic halls are in dire need of renovation. Don't kid yourself as to their primary purpose. The conversations among students also mostly revolved around sports, with some arts to give them something else to do. The academic staff I talked to were quite pleasant and engaging, but appear to be rather limited in resources and influence.

Second, the school's admissions are notably transphobic and refused to respect my son's gender identity, and were quite unapologetic about this. This may be a selling point for many, but if diversity is something that is important to you, you won't find it here.

I asked the director of admissions to describe something that's of concern right now on campus, because I was interested in hearing about how they go about solving problems. The off-the-cuff answer was "the boys need to win a hockey game". Sometimes in humor you really find the truth.

One of the most rewarding experiences we have had since making the decision 3 years ago to send our son who is a Junior to Vermont Academy was the first step, going to campus and seeing the community.

The impact that this school has had on our son has been transformative. Going to high school in Vermont, living on campus, the dedicated faculty staff. I would recommend to anyone looking for a high school that may be considered a small school, but has delivered a big return on our son's happiness and long term preparation for his future college education.

Absolutely terrible sportsmanship. VA players are known all across New England boarding schools for being incredibly disrespectful and immature. School has to teach better sportsmanship to these kids. Disappointing.

My daughter entered VA as a junior boarder. Her experience was outstanding! She had always been an outstanding student, but needed to gain some independence in an environment that allowed her to do just that while having support and encouragement available. The teachers and staff are incredibly devoted and exceptional. She balanced a challenging academic load, and was still able to participate in crew and theater in large part because everyone at VA made it possible to balance her workload and advocate for herself with teachers. She's now thriving in college.