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Alumni: what's one memory from Robert L. Patton High School that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
756
High
DISTRICT 632 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BURKE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370048002832
Patton High School
701 Enola Road, Morganton, NC 28655 · (828) 433-3000 · Burke County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL756 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 72% of North Carolina public high schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
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 high schools
Student : Teacher
24.4:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 24.9:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
748 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 209 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 201 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 186 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 160 | 21% |
Student demographics
46%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
63.6%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
52.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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
54.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% 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 Patton High School
Patton High School's state test result (54.5% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patton High School this school | 756 | 98.9% | 54.5% |
| Smoky Mountain High School Sylva | 881 | 97.7% | 46.3% |
| Owen High Black Mountain | 649 | 98.0% | 43.0% |
| Mount Airy High Mount Airy | 620 | 99.5% | 49.6% |
| North Iredell High Olin | 983 | 99.7% | 46.4% |
| North Surry High Mount Airy | 792 | 99.6% | 38.2% |
Matched among North Carolina high 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 Patton High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Burke County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.5% | #161 of 468 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #127 of 464 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.6% | #167 of 448 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 756 | #264 of 598 | #3 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 24.4:1 | #416 of 473 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.9% | #383 of 474 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.9% | #201 of 527 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.5% | #25 of 277 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high 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
756
-6 (-1%) vs 2020
-29% since 2010-11, when it was 1,070
Student : Teacher
24.4:1
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 | 756 | 31 | 24.4:1 | 99% (748) |
| 2023-24 | 753 | 42.4 | 17.8:1 | 100% (750) |
| 2022-23 | 752 | 39.9 | 18.9:1 | 55% (412) |
| 2020-21 | 762 | 45 | 16.9:1 | 36% (271) |
| 2017-18 | 988 | 52.5 | 18.8:1 | 43% (422) |
| 2015-16 | 962 | 56 | 17.2:1 | 49% (468) |
| 2010-11 | 1,070 | 62 | 17.3:1 | 48% (515) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Patton High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (988 to 756); teachers down 41% (52.5 to 31).
About Patton High School
Patton High School is a medium-sized high school in North Carolina, located in Morganton. The school had 756 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25.
Patton High School is one school in a 26-school district, Burke County Schools, which enrolls 11,667 students.
Patton High School is 70% White by enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 22% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 3% Asian. In Burke County overall, about 81% of residents are White. Patton High School's diversity index is 46%, against a US figure of 70%.
The school reports 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 24.4 students per teacher. The school has more students per teacher than the 19.6:1 average for high schools in North Carolina. The free or reduced-price lunch share, often used to gauge student poverty, is 99%.
Measured against North Carolina public high schools, Patton High School receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Patton High School scores 54.5% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 48.6%.
Federal survey data for Burke County show that the median household income is $58,592, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 12% of residents are in poverty. Burke County is home to 30 public schools and about 12,360 public school students.
Of nearby public schools, Liberty Middle is the closest, at about 0.3 miles. Patton High School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Among 5 nearby schools that report test results, Patton High School ranks 4th on proficiency.
Patton High School falls in the Rural: Fringe locale category, used for schools in rural territory close to an urban area.
The school's size has been steady, with 762 students in 2020-21 and 756 in 2024-25. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (24.4:1) than in 2020-21 (16.9:1).
Conversations here can range across enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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
- Draughn High SchoolHigh · 661 students
- East Burke MiddleMiddle · 630 students
- Valdese ElementaryElementary · 530 students
Other schools in Morganton
- Freedom HighHigh · 1,299 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 762 students
- New DimensionsElementary · 569 students
- Drexel ElementaryElementary · 477 students
- Salem ElementaryElementary · 476 students
- Liberty MiddleMiddle · 453 students
Nearby schools
- Liberty Middle0.3 mi · 453
- North Liberty0.4 mi · 72
- Mull Elementary0.6 mi · 291
- Burke Middle College1.8 mi · 130
- Salem Elementary1.8 mi · 476
- NC School for the Deaf2.2 mi · 60
Frequently asked questions
About Patton High SchoolHow large is Patton High School?
Patton High School enrolls approximately 756 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Patton High School serve?
Patton High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Patton High School?
Approximately 24.4:1 students per teacher at Patton High School.
How diverse is Patton High School?
Patton High School reports a student body of 70% White, 22% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Patton High School public or private?
Patton High School 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.