The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Edmunds Middle School
Edmunds Middle School sits on Main Street in Burlington, serving grades six through eight as part of the Burlington School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is moderate for a middle school in Vermont's largest city. The student body reflects Burlington's urban character. A slight majority of students are white, with a substantial Black population and smaller groups identifying as Asian, Hispanic, and two or more races. A little over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives a sense of the economic range the school serves. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not reported, so those portions of the picture are incomplete here.
State assessment results from the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program tell a mixed story. In English language arts, the school performs respectably, with proficiency rising across the three grade levels and reaching a strong level by eighth grade. Math results are softer. Sixth-grade math proficiency is the lowest mark on the school's record, climbing through seventh and eighth grades but still leaving a substantial share of students below proficiency. Eighth-grade science lands in a middling range. A parent weighing academic fit may want to look into the math pathway further with the school, particularly how the sixth-grade cohort is supported as they move through the building. Participation rates were not reported, and no multi-year trend data was available, so it is hard to say whether these results represent stability, improvement, or a rough patch. Because Edmunds is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report, and that gap simply reflects the grade band.
The broader community context matters here. Burlington is a regional college town anchored by the University of Vermont and Champlain College, with a walkable downtown organized around the Church Street Marketplace and a waterfront that connects the city to Lake Champlain. The local economy runs on education, health services, and a mix of employers including Burton Snowboards, Dealer.com, and the UVM Medical Center, which is the largest hospital in the state. The city has pursued ambitious sustainability goals, publicly reported as the first in the country to run entirely on renewable energy, with a net-zero target for the end of this decade. For families, this means growing up in a city with a distinct civic life, a strong arts presence in the South End, and access to a large farmers' market and public lakefront, though the poverty rate is real and the housing market is demanding.
Housing in the school's zip code is expensive relative to both the state and national benchmarks. Home values run well above the Vermont median, and the price-to-income ratio is steep. Rents are also high, though the gap between monthly rent and a monthly mortgage payment is wide enough that renting remains meaningfully cheaper than buying at current interest rates. This is a market where families may find themselves stretched, and the cost of living is part of the conversation around school choice in Burlington.
The Burlington School District has been investing in its facilities and practices. Voters approved a bond to build a new high school and technical center, on schedule to open in fall 2026. The district also opened a new Aviation, Career, and Technical Education Center at Burlington International Airport in October 2025, housing automotive, design engineering, fabrication, and aviation programs. An Integrated Arts Academy renovation wrapped up in summer 2025 with new kindergarten classrooms and geothermal heating. The district has also adopted a Restorative Code of Conduct aimed at reducing suspensions and addressing racial disparities in discipline, and has publicly reported eliminating those disparities for the first time. These district-level moves do not directly change the middle school's day-to-day, but they shape the environment students will move into as they progress.
Edmunds Middle School fits a family looking for an urban, diverse middle school experience in a city with strong cultural and civic anchors. The ELA program is a clear strength. Math is the area to watch. The surrounding community is vibrant and expensive, and the district is actively building and renovating around its students.
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