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What's the best and worst thing about the food at Drexel Elementary?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
477
Elementary
DISTRICT 384 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BURKE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370048002705
Drexel Elementary
100 Alta Vista Street, Morganton, NC 28655 · (828) 437-3160 · Burke County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL477 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 59% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
471 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 30 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 76 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 80 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 81 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 62 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 74 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (76) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (74).
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
50.5%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
55.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 51 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
57.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 57% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Drexel Elementary
Drexel Elementary's state test result (57.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drexel Elementary this school | 477 | 98.7% | 57.2% |
| Clyde Campbell Elementary Hickory | 505 | 99.4% | 64.6% |
| Catawba Elementary School Catawba | 450 | 99.3% | 58.1% |
| Ray Childers Elementary Hickory | 460 | 99.3% | 62.9% |
| Charles H Tuttle Elementary Maiden | 368 | 99.2% | 62.3% |
| Blackburn Elementary Newton | 484 | 99.0% | 63.1% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Drexel Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Burke County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.2% | #592 of 1,297 | #9 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.2% | #748 of 1,296 | #10 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.5% | #600 of 1,300 | #5 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 477 | #677 of 1,485 | #4 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.4:1 | #1,111 of 1,377 | #12 of 15 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.3% | #921 of 1,379 | #5 of 15 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #766 of 1,414 | #7 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.8% | #272 of 369 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
477
+22 (+5%) vs 2020
-12% since 2010-11, when it was 542
Student : Teacher
16.4:1
was 16.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 477 | 29.1 | 16.4:1 | 99% (471) |
| 2023-24 | 478 | 31.8 | 15.0:1 | 99% (475) |
| 2022-23 | 438 | 30.4 | 14.4:1 | 77% (339) |
| 2020-21 | 455 | 27 | 16.9:1 | 58% (265) |
| 2017-18 | 455 | 28.6 | 15.9:1 | 69% (314) |
| 2015-16 | 501 | 30 | 16.7:1 | 69% (345) |
| 2010-11 | 542 | 37 | 14.7:1 | 61% (333) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Drexel Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (455 to 477); teachers up 2% (28.6 to 29.1).
About Drexel Elementary
A mid-sized elementary school in Morganton, North Carolina, Drexel Elementary is part of Burke County Schools. In all, 477 students attend the school in pre-K through 5.
Burke County Schools has 11,667 students spread across 26 schools.
More than half of enrollment at Drexel Elementary is White: 66%. Enrollment also includes 12% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% multiracial, and 5% Black. The school's White share is 14 points below the 81% share among Burke County residents. The diversity index for Drexel Elementary is 53%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its ratio of 16.4:1 is based on 29.1 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, elementary schools in North Carolina average 14.9:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 99%.
On the allk12 Grade, Drexel Elementary lands at B, ahead of 59% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Drexel Elementary is 8.5 points above its prediction. Actual: 57.2%. Predicted: 48.7%.
The school is in Burke County, where median household income comes to about $58,592, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 12% of people live in poverty. Burke County's 30 public schools enroll about 12,360 students and include Drexel Elementary.
Hallyburton Academy is about 0.5 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Drexel Elementary is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools average 58.1% on proficiency, and Drexel Elementary is below that at 57.2%.
NCES lists the school's locale as Suburb: Mid-size. That means it sits in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Enrollment was 477 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 455.
This page is set up for the Drexel Elementary community to discuss homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Burke County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
87,795
Census ACS
Median income
$58,592
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
30
12,360 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Burke County Schools
- Freedom HighHigh · 1,299 students
- East Burke HighHigh · 874 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 762 students
- Patton High SchoolHigh · 756 students
- Draughn High SchoolHigh · 661 students
- East Burke MiddleMiddle · 630 students
Other schools in Morganton
- Freedom HighHigh · 1,299 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 762 students
- Patton High SchoolHigh · 756 students
- New DimensionsElementary · 569 students
- Salem ElementaryElementary · 476 students
- Liberty MiddleMiddle · 453 students
Other Drexel Elementary schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Drexel Elementary. Drexel Elementary is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Drexel Elementary SchoolTUCSON, AZ · 515 students
- Drexel Elementary SchoolCicero, IL · 396 students
- DREXEL ELEM.DREXEL, MO · 125 students
Nearby schools
- Hallyburton Academy0.5 mi · 73
- Heritage Middle1.7 mi · 475
- Valdese Elementary2.4 mi · 530
- Hillcrest Elementary3.7 mi · 254
- Draughn High School3.8 mi · 661
- Mull Elementary4.2 mi · 291
Frequently asked questions
About Drexel ElementaryHow large is Drexel Elementary?
Drexel Elementary enrolls approximately 477 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does Drexel Elementary serve?
Drexel Elementary serves grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Drexel Elementary have?
Drexel Elementary employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.4:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Drexel Elementary?
At Drexel Elementary, the student body is approximately 66% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Black, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is Drexel Elementary public or private?
Drexel Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Burke County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.