Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Morganton, North Carolina - 27 schools
An equity score of 57/100 ranks Burke County Schools #92 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,261 per pupil, Burke County Schools ranks #142 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Burke County Schools operates 27 public schools serving 11,770 students, placing it in the mid-size range in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 combined, 5 high, 5 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Burke County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,261 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 15.2% local, 61.7% state, and 23.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 57/100, ranked #92 of 297 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 4 of 27 schools offering Advanced Placement (56 AP courses district-wide), a 295.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 38.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 62.4% White, 20.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Freedom High, with a diversity index of 65.3/100.
Its largest campus is Freedom High, enrolling 1,299 students (11% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is North Liberty, at 72 students, a 18x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Burke County Schools school enrollment ranges from 72 students (lowest) to 1,299 students (highest), a spread of 1,227 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Burke County Schools is typically wider than the Burke County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 27 schools in Burke County Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Burke County Schools's schools, below the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Freedom High | 1,299 |
| East Burke High | 874 |
| Mountain View Elementary | 762 |
| Robert L. Patton High School | 756 |
| Jimmy C Draughn High School | 661 |
| East Burke Middle | 630 |
| Valdese Elementary | 530 |
| Drexel Elementary | 477 |
| Salem Elementary | 476 |
| Heritage Middle | 475 |
| Ray Childers Elementary | 460 |
| Liberty Middle | 453 |
| Walter R Johnson Middle | 441 |
| Table Rock Middle | 427 |
| George Hildebrand Elementary | 327 |
| W a Young Elementary | 327 |
| Oak Hill Elementary | 310 |
| Forest Hill Elementary | 305 |
| Hildebran Elementary | 297 |
| Glen Alpine Elementary | 295 |
| Mull Elementary | 291 |
| Icard Elementary | 265 |
| Hillcrest Elementary | 254 |
| Burke Middle College | 130 |
| Burke Virtual Academy | 119 |
| Hallyburton Academy | 73 |
| North Liberty | 72 |
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools | Similar size | Higher spending | More locally funded |
| Rockingham County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Pender County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Craven County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Burke County Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wake County Schools →Burke County Schools has 27 schools, including 5 high, 17 combined, 5 middle. Total enrollment is 11,770 students.
Burke County Schools spends $12,261 per student. The district has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #92 in North Carolina.
Burke County Schools students are 62.4% White, 20.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.3% Asian, 3.7% African American, averaged across 27 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Burke County Schools has an equity score of 57/100, ranking #92 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.