Education

The North Bennington Graded School District (NBGSD) provides school choice by budgeting for and paying cost/tuition for North Bennington and Shaftsbury District 1 (SD1) students to attend approved elementary schools. District One includes Paran Acres, Harvest Hills and neighboring areas. (See NBGSD Map).

As a bit of history, in 2013, after successful votes by voters of North Bennington and Shaftsbury SD1 (forming North Bennington Graded School District), the North Bennington Graded School closed and community leaders and VSNB’s’s board of directors formed the Village School of North Bennington. VSNB is fully accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in New England. This reorganization allowed the District to provide school choice. Policies that govern who is a resident student (Residency Affidavit and Verification of Residency policy) and how tuition payments are managed at on the SVUS’s website on this link: North Bennington Tuition Payment Policy.

The majority of those families living in SD1 choose to send their children to The Village School of North Bennington, an independent school which provides a full range of support services and special education services for in-district K-6 students who are determined to be eligible for these services. (Click here for more admission details.) VSNB also offers a pre-K program, distinguished with a 4-star rating with STARS, Vermont’s quality recognition system for preschool. Students in both districts graduate to Mount Anthony Union Middle School (MAUMS) for grades 7-8. MAUMS feeds into Mount Anthony Union High School (MAUHS) for grades 9-12. MAUMS and MAUHS are governed by a board made of representatives elected from Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford by the votes of all voters from those towns.

 Area students are also served by the Southwest Tech providing technical and vocational training to high school students and adults, whose board is elected from and by voters of all participating towns in Bennington County. 

The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU) includes five school districts: Southwest Vermont Union Elementary SD, North Bennington SD, and Mount Anthony Union School District (which includes Mount Anthony Union Middle School and Mount Anthony Union High School), Arlington School District, and Sandgate School District. SVSU provides administration and special education services to its member districts. SVSU board members are chosen by the district boards, not directly voted on by district voters.

In addition to VSNB, there are several private schools in the area, including, Southshire Community School in North Bennington, serving ages 5-14; Hiland Hall School in Bennington, serving grades K-8; Grace Christian School in Bennington, serving pre-K through high school; and The School of Sacred Heart St. Francis de Sales (Sacred Heart) in Bennington, serving pre-K through eighth grade.

 Note: residents of Shaftsbury can learn which district they’re in by looking at their tax bill. The 2 nd group of 3-digits on tax bills indicate the district: those with 254 are in the NBGSD (District 1); those with 180 are in the Shaftsbury School District