The Vermont Family Back-to-School Checklist

Summer is winding down. It's time to squeeze in one more adventure before the buses start rolling and get the kids geared up for school. Here's your all-in-one checklist for closing out summer right, getting school gear sorted, and prepping for fall programs. 

Squeeze in One Last Summer Adventure

Before the backpacks come out, make time for a final outing. Our Vermont Summer Family Adventure Planner is full of ideas for a last hurrah, including:

  • ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain (Burlington)— aquarium, dinosaur exhibit, and Champ's Legendary Creemees on the waterfront
  • Berry picking at Sweet Roots Farm (Charlotte) — pick-your-own blueberries at this certified organic farm and market
  • Shelburne Museum (Shelburne)— 45 acres, a vintage carousel, and the historic steamboat Ticonderoga
  • Smugglers' Notch Resort Daycation (Jeffersonville) — water play, mountain biking, and the Funzone 2.0 entertainment complex 
  • VINS Nature Center (Quechee) — Live Raptor Programs and the Forest Canopy Walk
  • Montshire Museum of Science (Norwich) — 150+ hands-on exhibits plus 100 acres to explore along the Connecticut River
  • Wonderfeet Kids' Museum (Rutland) — Vermont's only children's museum, built for hands-on play and exploration.

Tackle the Back-to-School Shopping List

Before you default to ordering everything online, Vermont has a great mix of one-stop shops and local favorites worth a visit. Here are our tops spots in the Burlington area.

University Mall

For most families, University Mall in South Burlington is the easiest one-stop shop for back-to-school prep. With over 60 shops and services under one climate-controlled roof, it covers nearly everything on the list in a single trip: Target, JCPenney, and Kohl's for clothes, shoes, and classroom basics, plus Claire's and Journeys for locker decor and the shoes your kid actually wants to wear on day one.

Free parking, and it's open daily (Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, Sun 10am–6pm), so it's easy to make it a one-trip, check-everything-off-the-list stop.

Church Street Marketplace

Downtown Burlington's Church Street Marketplace turns shopping into an outing, with 100+ stores and restaurants along four pedestrian blocks. Worth a stop:

  • Daydream Art Supplies — everything for the young artist's supply list
  • Crow Bookshop and Phoenix Books — two great local bookstores for required reading and a few just-for-fun picks
  • Outdoor Gear Exchange — backpacks and cold-weather gear built to survive a Vermont winter
  • Golden Hour Gift Co. — fun accessories, jewelry, and gifts for kids
  • Hatley — nature-inspired, sustainably made kids' clothing

A Few More Worth a Stop

  • BoHo Baby — gently used kids' clothing at prices you'll love
  • Once Upon A Child — another great source for gently used clothing, shoes, and gear for growing kids
  • Michaels — one-stop shopping for school supplies, plus arts and craft basics for projects all year
  • Turner Toys — fun extras like Tonies, Lego, and fidget toys for the backpack or the bus ride

Browse the full Gifts & Gear directory to filter by county and age group.

Add Afterschool Care

If you need coverage for the hours between dismissal and dinner, don't wait until the first week of school to sort it out — spots fill up. A few Burlington options to look into:

Browse the full Afterschool Programs directory to find options by county and age group.

Sign Up for Fall Music, Art & Sports

Fall class rosters and team registrations fill up fast, so it's worth getting your kid on the list before the first day of school. Whatever their interest, there's a class or league to match:

  • Art — from pottery to painting to art-and-nature classes, browse the full Art directory
  • Music — private and group lessons in piano, guitar, voice, and more, browse the full Music directory
  • Dance — ballet, hip hop, tap, and everything in between, browse the full Dance directory
  • Theatre — drama classes, youth productions, and circus arts, browse the full Drama & Theatre directory
  • Sports — rec leagues and skills clinics across every sport, browse the full Sports directory

Burlington Families: Check Out the New High School

If you're zoned for Burlington High School, don't miss this. After six years in a converted downtown Macy's, students are finally moving into a brand-new BHS/BTC building — Vermont's first newly built high school in decades.

  • Mark your calendar for the BHS Grand Opening & Block Party — Saturday, August 22, 11am–2pm. It's free, with food, community partners, and a self-guided scavenger hunt tour of the building.
  • Preview what's inside before you go: a two-story student commons that doubles as cafeteria and event lobby, a 750-seat auditorium, a 150-seat black box theater, and a gym with three full-sized basketball courts
  • If your student is interested in career and technical programs, look into the Burlington Technical Center (BTC), which offers ten programs of study, from a one-year Pre-Tech Foundational track to nine two-year programs, open to students from sending high schools across the region

Get the full story, including the sustainability details and budget breakdown, in Inside Burlington's Brand-New High School.

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    Published
    August 11, 2026
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    5 minutes
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