[4] In 1911, the college was founded as a one-year normal school housed in rented space in nearby Lyndon Institute.

Consistent with education tradition of the times, the Lyndon Training Course expanded its curriculum in one-year increments, and the first two-year class graduated in 1923.

In 1944, the state allowed Lyndon to grant four-year degrees so long as it remained a teacher training institution.

Bole, who led the school until 1955, encouraged the Vermont State Legislature to establish Lyndon Teachers College, saw the admission of the first male and first out-of-state students during the 1940s, and oversaw the move to the Theodore Newton Vail estate.

Vail had been instrumental in the establishment of Lyndon Institute, and Bole recognized his vacant estate as the perfect place to house the growing school.

The move to Vail Manor was completed on June 30, 1951, the final day of the school's lease at Lyndon Institute.

These additions began meeting the needs of a growing student population that also brought a rapid expansion of the Lyndon curriculum.

In 2009, the Academic and Student Activity Center, a LEED-certified, or "green" building, was constructed to house Lyndon's Business, Exercise Science and Meteorology majors.

In this complex was a 25 metres (82 ft) swimming pool, racquetball court, rock climbing wall, and a fitness center.

Lyndon State College teams participated as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III.