District overview
At a glance
Source years shown below
Reported students
11,667
NCES CCD 2024–25, where reported
Open schools
27
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
Student–teacher ratio
16.8:1
Calculated from NCES 2024–25 enrollment and teacher FTE
Spending per pupil
$12,261
Current expenditure · FY 2023 F-33
Instruction per pupil
$7,298
Calculated from FY 2023 F-33
Grades served
PK–12
NCES preliminary directory 2025–26
District interpretation
What the numbers say about Burke County Schools
Burke County Schools operates 27 current public-school records serving grades PK–12 in Morganton, North Carolina. NCES reports 11,667 students and 694.44 classroom teacher FTE for 2024–25.
By reported enrollment, the district ranks 31 of 331 North Carolina districts with data. That position describes scale only—it does not say whether individual schools are a good fit for a particular student.
FY 2023 finance records show $12,261 in current expenditure per pupil and $7,298 per pupil assigned to instruction. This places reported current spending 135 of 318 districts in North Carolina. Local wages, transportation, special education, facilities, and district responsibilities all affect this comparison.
Student context
Needs schools plan for
- English learners
- 10.4%
- Students with disabilities (IDEA)
- 13.5%
- Classroom teachers (FTE)
- 694.44
- Current expenditure (FY 2023)
- $144,308,000
Context measures describe who a district serves and its resources. They are not negative rating inputs.
Burke County Schools location
Morganton, North Carolina · 35.7261, -81.6492. This is the NCES EDGE district-office point, not an attendance boundary.
Open exact point in OpenStreetMap →Student demographics
Race and ethnicity share of reported enrollment
- White62.3%
- Hispanic21.3%
- Black3.9%
- Asian5.7%
- American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.3%
- Multiracial6.3%
Race/ethnicity: NCES CCD 2024–25 where reported, otherwise CRDC 2021–22. English learner and disability context: CRDC 2021–22. Totals can differ due to rounding or source privacy rules.
Interactive campus directory
Explore schools in Burke County Schools
27 current directory entries
Filter by school level or name, then sort by enrollment or reported student–teacher ratio.
Showing 27 of 27 schools
| School | Level | Grades | Students | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke Middle College | High | 11–12 | 130 | 43.3:1 |
| Burke Virtual Academy Virtual | Other | KG–12 | 0 | — |
| Draughn High School | High | 09–12 | 661 | 27.3:1 |
| Drexel Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 477 | 16.4:1 |
| East Burke High | High | 09–12 | 874 | 23.1:1 |
| East Burke Middle | Middle | 06–08 | 630 | 15.9:1 |
| Forest Hill Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 305 | 15.9:1 |
| Freedom High | High | 09–12 | 1,299 | 22.7:1 |
| George Hildebrand Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 327 | 14.8:1 |
| Glen Alpine Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 295 | 13.2:1 |
| Hallyburton Academy | High | 06–12 | 73 | 8.5:1 |
| Heritage Middle | Middle | 06–08 | 475 | 16.2:1 |
| Hildebran Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 297 | 18.5:1 |
| Hillcrest Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 254 | 14:1 |
| Icard Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 265 | 12.7:1 |
| Liberty Middle | Middle | 06–08 | 453 | 15.6:1 |
| Mountain View Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 762 | 14.6:1 |
| Mull Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 291 | 14.3:1 |
| North Liberty | Other | PK–12 | 72 | 6.3:1 |
| Oak Hill Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 310 | 15.3:1 |
| Patton High School | High | 09–12 | 756 | 24.4:1 |
| Ray Childers Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 460 | 15.8:1 |
| Salem Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 476 | 17:1 |
| Table Rock Middle | Middle | 06–08 | 427 | 14:1 |
| Valdese Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 530 | 17.8:1 |
| W A Young Elementary | Elementary | PK–05 | 327 | 12.9:1 |
| Walter R Johnson Middle | Middle | 06–08 | 441 | 13:1 |