Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Burke County Schools

This page covers 14 elementary schools in Burke County Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

14
Schools Ranked
North Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 14
1
rank
W A Young Elementary
Grades PK–05306 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.1:1)
54
/100
Student:Teacher
11.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
77%
High economic need
2
rank
Glen Alpine Elementary
Grades PK–05279 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.1:1)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
12.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
3
rank
Mull Elementary
Grades PK–05258 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.3:1)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
13.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
69%
High economic need
4
rank
Oak Hill Elementary
Grades PK–05327 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
70%
High economic need
5
rank
Salem Elementary
Grades PK–05401 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
70%
High economic need
6
rank
Drexel Elementary
Grades PK–05438 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
14.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
77%
High economic need
7
rank
Hillcrest Elementary
Grades PK–05284 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
13.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
94%
High economic need
8
rank
Mountain View Elementary
Grades PK–05677 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
45
/100
Student:Teacher
15.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
85%
High economic need
9
rank
Forest Hill Elementary
Grades PK–05269 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
44
/100
Student:Teacher
14.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
10
rank
Valdese Elementary
Grades PK–05521 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
43
/100
Student:Teacher
16.2:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,502
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4 more elementary schools in Burke County Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Burke County Schools
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
14
Elementary Schools
26
Total Schools
54
#1 Score
46
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Other School Levels
Compare Burke County Schools with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.