When Burroughs realized he did not have the proper background for the field, he instead pursued a classical education, studying at the Brockport Collegiate Institute and Middlebury Academy.
[1] Burroughs took a position as Principal of the Hamilton Academy, managing the school for the next year and a half.
[1] Later in 1854, Burroughs worked with United States Senator Stephen A. Douglas to establish the original University of Chicago.
The same year, the University of Rochester awarded Burroughs an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
In 1881, Burroughs was named to the Chicago Board of Education, serving as Assistant Superintendent of Schools from 1884 until his death.
Burroughs married Elvira S. Fields, Principal of the Ladies' Seminary at Hamilton Academy, in 1843.