By Kolby LaMarche

The Burlington School District has released its 2026 Equity Report, documenting two years of efforts to implement a 2023 equity policy focused on anti-racism, bias training, restorative practices and closing achievement gaps.

The  report, in-line with the district’s strategic plan and Policy C29 on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, details partial or full compliance across areas including leadership planning, data use, staff training, curriculum, family engagement and accountability. 

Superintendent Tom Flanagan, in an introductory note, described the report as a mechanism for public accountability to disrupt “white supremacy culture” in the district and address persistent outcome differences by race and ability.

District officials highlighted one clear success: the elimination of racial disparities in student suspensions during the 2024-25 school year. 

Students of the Global Majority — a term the district uses for students of color, making up about 42% of enrollment — accounted for 33% of suspensions, below their share of the student population. This reversed earlier patterns where they had been overrepresented. Officials credited years of restorative practices training, updates to the Restorative Code of Conduct, and consistent application of behavior policies.

The report notes improvements in some survey measures of student belonging and well-being, particularly for students of the Global Majority and those with IEPs. 

Behavioral data showed progress, and the district pointed to expanded youth leadership programs like the Summer Racial Justice Academy and Youth Participatory Action Research at middle schools.

Yet the report repeatedly acknowledges that core academic disparities remain. 

The district has not reduced gaps in achievement for students of the Global Majority, students with disabilities, or English Learners on measures such as VTCAP assessments. These gaps, described as a national issue, persist despite data walls, progress monitoring, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, the district says. 

The report states that high-quality Tier 1 instruction, where teachers meet the needs of 80%+ of their students, and consistent intervention across schools needs strengthening.

Burlington serves a high-poverty student body. Roughly 56% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, with rates around 53% at Burlington High School. The district’s overall four-year graduation rate stands at 79%, a bit below Vermont’s 83% average. 

The report’s sections on data-informed decisions and resource distribution note the use of an equitable budgeting model that directs more resources to higher-need schools, supported by an external review from Education Resource Strategies. 

However, it stops short of demonstrating narrowed academic gaps tied to poverty or race.

Much of the report catalogs training initiatives. The district conducted anti-bias and anti-racism sessions for teachers, administrators, and some support staff between 2022 and 2025, including partnerships with groups like Truss Leadership Collaborative. 

New teacher orientation, hiring committees, and certain departments received targeted sessions. A youth-created PSA on bias was developed for future Vector training modules. The report recommends mandatory annual anti-bias training for all staff starting in 2026 and better tracking of completion.

Staff professional goals were required to include anti-racist elements, with 80% of teachers completing them in 2024-25. A new Learning Framework, developed with input from teachers and coaches, aims to guide instruction with equity principles. 

Curriculum efforts included selection of materials described as inclusive and culturally responsive, such as Expeditionary Learning units and a pilot of Illustrative Math. 

An AP African American Studies course was added at the high school. The Office of Equity curated social justice resources and equity circles. School environments emphasized restorative practices, safety weeks, and expansions of peer mediation from Burlington High School to some elementary and middle schools.

Family engagement included multilingual liaisons, advisory groups, Parent University, and superintendent coffees. A Guiding Coalition supported strategic plan implementation. The report notes room for more consistent collaboration with families of historically marginalized students.

On staffing diversity, the percentage of teachers and principals of the Global Majority rose modestly from 5% in 2021-22 to 6% in recent years, with 17% of all staff identifying as Global Majority. Recruitment partnerships with DiversityInEd and others continue, alongside retention efforts like exit surveys and planned Employee Resource Groups. 

Staff belonging survey scores for Global Majority employees improved but remain an area of focus.

The report’s accountability section describes incorporation of the equity policy into annual reporting and work plans, as the district has already long done. 

Critics of similar equity initiatives in other districts have questioned whether heavy emphasis on anti-bias training, restorative approaches, and cultural responsiveness comes at the expense of core academics, especially in high-poverty settings where basic proficiency rates already lag. 

The Burlington report does not provide detailed proficiency numbers broken down by poverty status alongside the equity actions, though it acknowledges that academic gaps for low-income students and others still persist. 

Vermont statewide data has shown chronic challenges in reading, math and science proficiency in recent years.

Enrollment stands at roughly 3,195 students. The entire report can be read here.