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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BURKE COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370048002662

Walter R Johnson Middle

701 Lenoir Road, Morganton, NC 28655 · (828) 430-7340 · Burke County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL441 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of North Carolina public middle schools
  • CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C+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 middle schools

Enrollment
441
Middle
DISTRICT 485 · STATE 605
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
34 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.9:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
438 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 615535%
Grade 712328%
Grade 816337%
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%
White
9421%
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 42% · US 43%
Hispanic
28464%
DISTRICT 21% · STATE 22% · US 30%
Black
245%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 25% · US 15%
Asian
133%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 4% · US 6%
Two+
266%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 6% · US 5%
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
Male
23854%
Female
20346%

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Test scores

NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)
English Language Arts
34.6%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
48.1%
NC avg 52.2%

What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 35 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 48 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 · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
42.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.5%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.0pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 43% 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 Walter R Johnson Middle

Walter R Johnson Middle's state test result (42.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Walter R Johnson Middle this school44199.3%42.6%
Hobbton Middle
Newton Grove
42899.3%49.0%
North Asheboro Middle
Asheboro
50199.4%43.2%
East Middle
Biscoe
42299.3%40.5%
Spring Creek Middle
Seven Springs
57199.5%57.4%
Union Middle
Clinton
37499.2%37.5%
Matched among North Carolina middle 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 Walter R Johnson Middle ranks

Among middle schools
MeasureThis schoolIn North Carolina
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
42.6%#325 of 463
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
48.1%#241 of 461
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
34.6%#391 of 463
Enrollment
ranked largest first
441#355 of 478
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
13.0:1#35 of 456
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
53.3%#322 of 456
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
99.3%#169 of 472
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-5.0%#246 of 300
Ranked against other public middle 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 2024-25
Enrollment
441
-79 (-15%) vs 2020
-3% since 2010-11, when it was 455
Student : Teacher
13.0:1
was 15.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-254413413.0:199% (438)
2023-2443930.814.3:199% (436)
2022-2346532.614.3:190% (419)
2020-215203415.3:173% (379)
2017-184643015.5:180% (372)
2015-164432915.3:170% (308)
2010-114553413.4:168% (309)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Walter R Johnson Middle.

Since 2017-18: students down 5% (464 to 441); teachers up 13% (30 to 34).

About Walter R Johnson Middle

Walter R Johnson Middle is a low-enrollment middle-grades school. Its address is in Morganton, North Carolina. It educates 441 students in grades 6 through 8. The typical figure for middle schools in North Carolina is about 605 students.

Walter R Johnson Middle is one school in a 26-school district, Burke County Schools, which enrolls 11,667 students.

Hispanic students account for 64% of enrollment at Walter R Johnson Middle. Other students are 21% White, 6% multiracial, 5% Black, and 3% Asian. That is higher than the 9% Hispanic share among all Burke County residents. By the diversity index, Walter R Johnson Middle comes in at 53%.

Its 34 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 13.0:1. The average ratio among middle schools in North Carolina is 15.9:1, higher than at this school. The school's lunch program data list 99% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

The allk12 Grade for Walter R Johnson Middle is C. Compared with North Carolina public middle schools, the school scored higher than 32% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

The BeatsExpectations prediction for Walter R Johnson Middle is 48.5%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 42.6%.

According to the American Community Survey, in Burke County, median household income is about $58,592, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 30 public schools operate in Burke County, serving about 12,360 students.

New Dimensions is located about 0.6 miles from Walter R Johnson Middle. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8. Walter R Johnson Middle comes in 5th of 6 nearby schools on average proficiency.

Walter R Johnson Middle is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000, a location NCES labels City: Small.

The 2024-25 enrollment of 441 was 15% lower than in 2020-21, when it was 520. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 15.3:1; by 2024-25 it was 13.0:1.

Community posts for Walter R Johnson Middle can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.

Burke County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
Walter R Johnson Middle
District
Burke County Schools
Address
701 Lenoir Road, Morganton, NC 28655
Phone
(828) 430-7340
County
Burke County
Level
Middle
Grade range
06–08
Total enrollment
441
Teachers (FTE)
34
Student–teacher ratio
13.0:1
Free and reduced lunch
438 (99%)
Locale
13-City: Small
NCES ID
370048002662
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Burke County Schools
Other schools in Morganton
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Walter R Johnson Middle
How many students attend Walter R Johnson Middle?
Walter R Johnson Middle enrolls approximately 441 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Walter R Johnson Middle serve?
Walter R Johnson Middle serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Walter R Johnson Middle?
Approximately 13.0:1 students per teacher at Walter R Johnson Middle.
What is the student diversity at Walter R Johnson Middle?
Student demographics at Walter R Johnson Middle are roughly 21% White, 64% Hispanic, 5% Black, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Walter R Johnson Middle public or private?
Walter R Johnson Middle 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.
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