Is 4 inches a snow day in Vermont?

Almost never; it is a late start at most. Burlington averages 7.7 days a year with 3 inches or more and the towns plow through them. Closures become common from about 6 inches on a school morning, or at any depth when ice is in the forecast. The meter shows the delay-or-closure number separately.

Can Vermont schools hold a virtual snow day?

The Agency of Education's attendance guidance answers that question by pointing to its hybrid-learning guidance for inclement-weather days, so the practice is recognised, and many districts set up for it in 2020. We could not read a cap or an approval route, so ask your supervisory union.

Do Vermont snow days have to be made up?

Yes, to 175 attendance days, unless the State Board grants relief on a petition for a closure beyond the board's control. The legislature made a one-time cut to 170 days in 2020-21. Most calendars carry a few spare days for this.

Why is Vermont's threshold the same as Massachusetts' when it gets more snow?

Because Vermont tolerates more per inch but has longer, hillier bus routes. Burlington's 87.5 inches a season against Boston's 49.2 means Vermont districts are better practised, while the dirt roads of the hill towns take longer to clear. The model lands both at 6 inches; read the reasons under the number for your own road.

Snow day calculator Vermont

Chance of a snow day

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Best time to check

The evening before, after 9 pm: The evening model runs are in by then and the forecast here refreshes every 30 minutes. A number read at 6 pm can move by several inches of snow before midnight.
The morning of, 5 to 7 am: The strip above shades 4 to 7 am. Snow still falling in those hours lands on the commute, so the model counts it extra, and most districts have decided by the time the buses roll at 7.

When districts actually decide

Portland Public Schools, Oregon publishes its closure decision no later than 5 am (read 10 Oct 2026)
Omaha Public Schools announced the 23 January 2026 cold closure at 5:50 pm the evening before (read 10 Oct 2026)
Little Rock School District announced a two-day closure the afternoon before the 9 January 2025 storm (read 10 Oct 2026)
Minnesota e-learning days must be announced at least two hours before the normal start time, by statute (read 10 Oct 2026)

Every district sets its own cut-off; these are published examples, not a rule.

Vermont schools usually close around 6 inches of overnight snow. Six inches overnight on a school morning; Vermont delays more often than it closes. The meter below opens on Burlington; type your ZIP or town and it reads tonight's hourly forecast for your exact spot and scores it against the Vermont threshold.

How much snow it takes in Vermont

Vermont delays more than it closes. Burlington averages 87.5 inches a season, 23.1 days with an inch or more, 7.7 days with 3 inches or more and 3.9 days with 5 inches or more, with January the snowiest month. Town road crews plow all night, the buses run on snow all winter, and a district that closed on 4 inches would lose two weeks a year. The model's 6-inch threshold is where a closure on a school morning becomes common; heavy snow still falling at 7 am is usually what tips it.

Ice does the rest. A freezing-rain storm on the hill towns closes everything regardless of depth, and the meter scores each hour of it. The Northeast Kingdom and the mountain districts see more snow than Burlington and tolerate more; the Champlain Valley mixes with rain more often. Many Vermont districts set themselves up for remote learning during snowstorms in 2020, and the state's attendance guidance still points to a memo on virtual inclement-weather days.

Vermont winter by the numbers

Station	Snow per season	Days with 1″+	Days with 3″+	Snowiest month
Burlington	87.5″	23.1	7.7	Jan

1991-2020 climate normals for the airport or first-order station in each city, read 2026-10-10 from the NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. “Days with 3″+” is the average number of calendar days a year with at least 3 inches of new snow. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the Barre-Montpelier airport.

How closures are decided in Vermont

Vermont requires at least 175 student attendance days a year (16 V.S.A. 1071), and a day counts only if a majority of enrolled students are recorded as present. When a school is closed for a cause beyond the school board's control it may petition the State Board for relief; the legislature cut the requirement to 170 days for the 2020-21 year as a one-off. The Agency of Education's calendar-waiver guidance was not reachable when we checked, so the number of contingency days expected and any cap on waived days are not stated here.

The statute as we read it has no remote-instruction language, but the agency's attendance FAQ answers the question of virtual snow or inclement-weather days by pointing to its hybrid-learning guidance for such days, so the practice is recognised. We did not find a programme name, cap or approval route, and we did not find a dated closure to cite. The 127 regular districts and their supervisory unions decide closures themselves.

Minimum school year: 175 student attendance days (16 V.S.A. 1071)
Attendance day: Counts only if a majority of enrolled students are present
Virtual weather days: Recognised in Agency of Education attendance guidance; cap and approval not published here
Regular districts: 127 (NCES, 2021-22)

Questions people ask

Is 4 inches a snow day in Vermont?: Almost never; it is a late start at most. Burlington averages 7.7 days a year with 3 inches or more and the towns plow through them. Closures become common from about 6 inches on a school morning, or at any depth when ice is in the forecast. The meter shows the delay-or-closure number separately.
Can Vermont schools hold a virtual snow day?: The Agency of Education's attendance guidance answers that question by pointing to its hybrid-learning guidance for inclement-weather days, so the practice is recognised, and many districts set up for it in 2020. We could not read a cap or an approval route, so ask your supervisory union.
Do Vermont snow days have to be made up?: Yes, to 175 attendance days, unless the State Board grants relief on a petition for a closure beyond the board's control. The legislature made a one-time cut to 170 days in 2020-21. Most calendars carry a few spare days for this.
Why is Vermont's threshold the same as Massachusetts' when it gets more snow?: Because Vermont tolerates more per inch but has longer, hillier bus routes. Burlington's 87.5 inches a season against Boston's 49.2 means Vermont districts are better practised, while the dirt roads of the hill towns take longer to clear. The model lands both at 6 inches; read the reasons under the number for your own road.

Sources

16 V.S.A. 1071, school year and attendance days (FindLaw text current to Jan 2024) (read 2026-10-10)
Vermont Agency of Education, attendance data FAQ (virtual inclement-weather days) (read 2026-10-10)
The Chester Telegraph, Green Mountain board meeting on the 170-day year and remote snow days, 20 Oct 2020 (read 2026-10-10)
NCES Digest table 214.30, regular school districts by state, 2021-22 (read 2026-10-10)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Burlington (read 2026-10-10)

The closure threshold itself is our model's estimate from typical district practice, not an official figure. Districts, not states, make the call. The model page shows every term.

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