Letter to Students and Families
The start of semester 2 means that we begin to plan classes and schedules for the 2023-2024 school year. The first step for students and caregivers/families is to identify the courses they think they would like to take in the fall. It is important to consider your post-secondary plan (think “what do I want to do after high school?”) and where your interests lie.
This part of the course registration process is really important, because it will provide us with the critical data to determine which courses are offered and how many sections of each course we create. So while students can make changes to their requests later on if needed, having full participation early on in the process will ensure the best possible offerings and schedules for everyone.
Parents and Caregivers – you are an integral part of this conversation! Please review the Course Request Worksheet and the 2023-2024 Program of Studies with your young person(s) the weekend of February 6th-12 so that you can talk about your student’s options for next year and plans for post-high school. Note that each course description includes information about which grade levels may request the course, as well as any prerequisites. Reach out to your student’s school counselor with any questions.
Students – requesting your courses for next year is an important step in charting your own course through high school and after graduation. Take it seriously, ask questions, challenge yourself, and dream big!
Program of Studies
Burlington High School offers a comprehensive and challenging college preparatory program with an emphasis on academic excellence and intellectual curiosity, as laid out in our 2023-2024 Program of Studies.
Burlington’s designation as a refugee resettlement city means that students from all over the world interact with native Vermont students who themselves come from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. The result is a uniquely and interestingly diverse high school population of over 935.
Student Course Request and Schedule Timeline 2023
February 6: 9-11th grade students will learn about the Course Request Process in Advisory. The 2023-2024 Program of Studies will be available on the website, and Course Request Worksheets will be passed out in Advisory. We encourage students to bring these home and share them with parents and caregivers, so that together, you can identify and learn together about your student’s required courses for next year, as well as possible electives.
February 6-13: Current teachers will make recommendations for which courses are appropriate for individual students in each content area. Students will see these recommendations when they go in to request their courses in PowerSchool, and update their Course Request Worksheets.
February 13 and 16: Students will bring their completed Course Request Worksheets to Advisory and input requested courses in PowerSchool with the help of their Advisor.
February 16-24: School Counselors will meet with students individually to review and modify course requests as needed. Parents and caregivers will be able to view their student’s course requests by logging into the PowerSchool parent portal.
March/April: School administration builds multiple drafts of a Master Schedule until a version is developed that fulfills as many course requests for as many students as possible.
August: Students and parents/caregivers will be able to view schedules in Power School. Students will have the opportunity to request course changes through a google form to their school counselor before school starts.
First week of school: A week long Add/Drop period will give students the opportunity to make final changes to their schedule.
Course Request Worksheets
Curriculum
The BHS and BTC campus offers more than 160 course offerings, including college preparatory and AP/honors courses, hands-on learning, technical education, flexible-pathways, and English-learner programs.
- Students may earn credit through community learning, workplace internships, and peer tutor programs as well as through reading, remedial skills, and support programs such as ASPIRE and the Student Support Center.
- The Burlington Technical Center, located on the BHS campus, and the nearby Center for Technology in Essex, offer rigorous career pathway classes resulting in dual enrollment with high school.
- Our innovative “Burlington City and Lake Semester” course offers students a chance to gather off-campus and use the city as our classroom, exploring the people, places, problems and possibilities of our community. Our curriculum focuses on the following themes: Sense of Place, Community and Identity, Civic Engagement, Social Justice, and Sustainability
- Honors level achievement is designated by an asterisk (*) on student transcripts. Grades are unweighted.
- Advanced Placement courses are offered in Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, English Literature and Composition, French, Music Theory, Spanish, Statistics, Studio Art, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, Environmental Studies, and World History.
- Qualified students may enroll concurrently in college and university courses.
- Support classes for the more than 140 students learning English for Speakers of Other Languages and for students with learning challenges are also available.
It Is Course Selection Season!
These videos guide students through the course selection process in PowerSchool.
Course registration video for incoming 9th graders.
Course registration video for current 9th-11th graders.
Program of Studies Archive
Faculty and Accreditation
Burlington High School is accredited by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Vermont Department of Education. Among its professional faculty and administrative staff of about 100, most have pursued graduate study, and 65% hold a Master’s Degree or higher. Faculty members are active in regional and national professional organizations.
