Chartered by the State of Vermont in 1829 as Burr Seminary, Burr and Burton Academy was Vermont's first coeducational secondary school and is one of the oldest continuously operating academies in the country.

Burr and Burton owes its establishment to what is today called a matching gift. Joseph Burr, a wealthy merchant who died in 1828, left a $10,000 bequest for a secondary school in Manchester. There was one condition - that his bequest be matched dollar for dollar by public subscription within five years.

The first board of trustees worked tirelessly to raise the money, traveling from community to community in search of the necessary funds. It was not until March 1831 that the trustees felt confident enough to vote for the purchase of land and the erection of a school building.

The Early Years
Construction problems plagued the builders, but finally, on November 28, 1832, just four months short of the expiration date stipulated in Burr's will, Seminary Building was finished. The school officially opened on May 15, 1833. During its first sixteen years, it was exclusively a boys' school, but popular demand was so great that sixteen girls were admitted to the class of 1849, largely due to the efforts of faculty member William H. Burnham. Fifty-six girls attended in 1850 and the school hired its first preceptress, Miss Cornelia Otis. In 1855, in recognition of founding trustee Josiah K. Burton's own bequest and his wish to encourage the education of women, the trustees officially admitted them on terms of equality with young men. In 1860 the name of the school was changed to Burr and Burton Seminary in his honor.

The Legacy Continues
Since then, the school has flourished under the watchful eyes of a self-perpetuating board of trustees and eminent headmasters. The old buildings have been refurbished and new ones built; the community of scholars has grown and changed; the course work now includes DNA cloning as well as Shakespeare's plays. In 1999 the trustees voted to change the name once again, to Burr and Burton Academy, this time to reflect more accurately the mission of the school as it enters its third century. What has not changed over the centuries is Burr and Burton's dedication to educating every student for a life of purpose, and the proud support of the entire community for its endeavors.