Total enrollment
11,667
-66 (-1%) vs SY 2020-21
27 schools in Burke County Schools
North Carolina · 11,667 students · 6 cities
Burke County Schools, North Carolina runs 27 public K-12 schools today, teaching approximately 11,667 students across 14 elementary, 5 middle, and 6 high.
4-year change in Burke County Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
26
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Burke County Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 53.6% | #43 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 11,667 | #31 of 116 | #765 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 26 | #26 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.9:1 | #88 of 116 | #7,055 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 98.8% | #35 of 114 | #340 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 55.7% | #66 of 111 | #2,233 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Burke County Schools
State test results across the district's 23 scored schools run from George Hildebrand Elementary at 71.9% proficient to Freedom High at 37.7%, a gap of 34.2 points. That is the 73rd widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 25 district schools that reported both years went from 12,098 to 10,905 students (down 10%) and from 729 to 636 full-time teachers (down 13%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Burke County Schools
Burke County Schools is a compact North Carolina school district running 27 schools with combined enrollment near 11,667.
On the school-mix side, Burke County Schools spans 14 elementary, 5 middle, 6 high schools, and 2 combined or other.
Average enrollment per school in Burke County Schools is about 432, meaningfully below the North Carolina average of roughly 571.
Over the past 4-year window. Combined enrollment now sits at 11,667 students, remained close to its prior level from the 11,733 reported in SY 2020-21.
On this page, the community for Burke County Schools discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.