Enrollment
1,299
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Morganton, NC
Freedom High
Federal NCES profile for Freedom High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370048000176
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Freedom High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Morganton · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 59.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Freedom High has class sizes larger than 80% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Freedom High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Morganton, NC.
School address
District: Burke County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370048000176 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
73.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Freedom High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Freedom High
Freedom High is a higher-need, large high school in Morganton, North Carolina, enrolling 1,299 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.5% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,299 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 146 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #108, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 65/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 325 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 362 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,299 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Morganton's high schools, it stands alongside Robert L. Patton High School (756 students): Freedom High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.8:1 vs 19.4:1).
Burke County Schools also operates East Burke High (874 students) and Mountain View Elementary (762 students) alongside Freedom High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Freedom High compares
Freedom High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 13% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.5% | ▼ 10% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,299 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,299
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 80% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,845
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 325 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
245
in-school suspensions + 117 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 45.8%
Hispanic or Latino 35.3%
Two or More 7.5%
African American 7.2%
Asian 4.2%
Largest group: White at 45.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.3, Freedom High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Burke County Schools, which includes Freedom High.
$11,845
Per student
-1%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.2%
State 61.7%
Federal 23.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Freedom High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Burke High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Robert L. Patton High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jimmy C Draughn High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Burke Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Freedom High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 874
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 762
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 661
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Morganton
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,299 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Freedom High's federal record.
- Compare Freedom High against another school. Compare schools
- Burke County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Freedom High
How many students attend Freedom High?
Freedom High has 1,299 students enrolled. It is a high school in Morganton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Freedom High?
The student-teacher ratio at Freedom High is 17.8:1, which is 13% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Freedom High?
59.5% of students at Freedom High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Freedom High?
The largest demographic group at Freedom High is White at 45.8% of enrollment, in Morganton, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Freedom High?
Freedom High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Freedom High rank among high schools in Morganton?
By Resource Investment Index, Freedom High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Morganton, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Morganton on the city page.
Is Freedom High a good school?
Freedom High earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of North Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Burke County Schools?
Besides Freedom High, Burke County Schools also operates East Burke High (874 students), Mountain View Elementary (762 students), and Robert L. Patton High School (756 students). See the Burke County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.