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Forest Hill Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1217^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Forest Hill Elementary is a public elementary school in Morganton, North Carolina, serving 291 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Burke County Schools district, which is ranked 121 out of 242 districts in the state.

Forest Hill Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools over the past 5 years, with significantly below-average performance on state assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. The school struggles to effectively serve its diverse student population, with subgroups like Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and Gifted and Talented students performing in the bottom 10-20% of the state. Additionally, 98.97% of Forest Hill Elementary's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.

Interestingly, nearby schools in the Burke County Schools district, such as Valdese Elementary, Drexel Elementary, and W.A. Young Elementary, generally perform better than Forest Hill Elementary on state assessments and have higher rankings, despite serving similar student populations in terms of socioeconomic status. This suggests that Forest Hill Elementary may be struggling to implement effective strategies to address the needs of its student population and improve academic outcomes.

305

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,628

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

304 Ann Street
Morganton, NC 28655

(828) 437-5906

District: Burke County Schools

Students who attend Forest Hill Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Liberty Middle
High:	Patton High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.4%

White:

25.6%

African American:

8.2%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Forest Hill Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (42% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 49 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg56%

North Carolina avg57%

1,217^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 49 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Burke County Schools

121^st of 242Burke County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	23.1	1217 of 1490	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	1239 of 1505	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	1155 of 1502	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	1145 of 1514	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.9	884 of 1489	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.4	834 of 1473	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.4	837 of 1434	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.3	884 of 1429	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	44.7	842 of 1425	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	65.6	476 of 1440	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	62.1	508 of 1390	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.3	351 of 1403	75.0%	★★★★☆
2012	74.7	303 of 1388	78.2%	★★★★☆
2011	86.5	105 of 1381	92.4%	★★★★★
2010	85.1	116 of 1363	91.5%	★★★★★
2009	88.1	74 of 1354	94.5%	★★★★★
2008	86.5	105 of 1324	92.1%	★★★★★
2007	81.4	150 of 1293	88.4%	★★★★☆
2006	67.2	384 of 1276	69.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	32.8	646 of 897	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	10.8	555 of 563	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.4	499 of 533	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	443 of 514	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	439 of 485	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	458 of 497	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.9	326 of 421	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	1059 of 1451	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	1277 of 1455	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.0	1062 of 1459	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	942 of 1458	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.1	798 of 1440	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.6	961 of 1424	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.4	1033 of 1405	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	652 of 710	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	65.3	118 of 612	80.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	734 of 961	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	759 of 951	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	740 of 915	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	818 of 893	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.0	547 of 843	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	539 of 865	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	563 of 851	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.1	969 of 1437	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	1048 of 1450	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	1031 of 1437	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.8	1055 of 1366	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.8	711 of 1329	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.1	572 of 1361	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	655 of 1332	50.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	1276 of 1450	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	1136 of 1464	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	1174 of 1461	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.6	1221 of 1464	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.8	892 of 1444	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	666 of 1430	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	620 of 1413	56.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	1016 of 1172	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	1028 of 1166	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	88.0	74 of 1194	93.8%	★★★★★
2021	82.8	153 of 1172	86.9%	★★★★☆
2019	53.7	554 of 1183	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.4	361 of 1178	69.4%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2018)28th percentile-14 vs school

Female (2025)27th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2025)24th percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)12th percentile-6 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)8th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science57%-5 vs state

Mathematics42%-19 vs state

Reading38%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Forest Hill Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Forest Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	304 Ann Street	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-5906	305	19	15.8	99.0%	78 (25.6%)	25 (8.2%)	175 (57.4%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.6%)	23.1	1217^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.3%		22.3	1239^th of 1505 public elementary schools	17.7%	22	46.3	35.7	43.2				26.8	45.2	40.9				56.8		$10,628	$1,562	$9,066
Mountain View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	805 Bouchelle St	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-1584	762	52	14.5	97.8%	287 (37.7%)	58 (7.6%)	346 (45.4%)	12 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	56 (7.3%)	28.6	1107^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.7%		34.7	1015^th of 1505 public elementary schools	32.6%	92	55.0	54.1	44.9				25.2	45.9	41.1				52.3		$9,734	$1,324	$8,410
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	201 Tennessee Street	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-4258	254	18	14.0	97.6%	38 (15.0%)	17 (6.7%)	182 (71.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.7%)	25.1	1181^st of 1490 public elementary schools	20.7%		25.7	1184^th of 1505 public elementary schools	21.3%	3	52.9	42.2	57.1				32.4	37.8	40.5				42.9		$11,197	$1,694	$9,503
Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1329 Salem Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-5901	476	28	17.0	98.7%	377 (79.2%)	3 (0.6%)	65 (13.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	70.7	378^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.6%		73.5	352^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	76.6%	26	77.0	75.8	68.7				54.0	58.1	50.7				74.6		$9,182	$1,028	$8,153
New Dimensions	Public, Charter	K-8	550 Lenoir Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	The New Dimensions School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-5753	569	39	14.7	33.0%	500 (87.9%)	21 (3.7%)	13 (2.3%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.4%)	58.1	596^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.0%		58.5	608^th of 1505 public elementary schools	59.6%	12	76.6	62.7	46.4	56.9	60.4	66.7	57.8	56.7	48.2	60.0	73.6	70.8	60.7	72.9
Mull Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1140 Old NC 18 South	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-5785	291	20	14.2	98.6%	203 (69.8%)	8 (2.7%)	48 (16.5%)	13 (4.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	64	499^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.5%		78.5	272^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	81.9%	227	58.7	78.1	73.1				30.4	65.6	67.3				69.2		$11,063	$1,857	$9,205
W A Young Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	325 Conley Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 584-0632	327	25	12.9	95.4%	246 (75.2%)	4 (1.2%)	22 (6.7%)	32 (9.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.0%)	37.9	953^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	36.0%		64.4	499^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.8%	454	62.8	68.2	36.2				46.5	61.4	29.8				36.2		$10,309	$1,352	$8,957
Oak Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2363 Nc 181	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 433-1533	310	20	15.2	99.0%	194 (62.6%)	40 (12.9%)	38 (12.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (11.0%)	29.1	1102^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	26.0%		26.7	1169^th of 1505 public elementary schools	22.3%	67	41.8	42.6	38.9				36.4	55.3	42.6				59.3		$9,195	$1,040	$8,155
Glen Alpine Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	302 London Street	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 584-0661	295	22	13.2	99.0%	180 (61.0%)	14 (4.7%)	49 (16.6%)	20 (6.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.2%)	60.4	557^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.6%		52.6	706^th of 1505 public elementary schools	53.1%	149	72.5	57.8	75.5				43.1	51.1	52.8				71.7		$10,621	$1,368	$9,253
Drexel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Alta Vista Street	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 437-3160	477	29	16.4	98.7%	316 (66.2%)	23 (4.8%)	55 (11.5%)	41 (8.6%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	35 (7.3%)	51	733^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	50.8%		66.1	473^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	68.6%	260	56.1	63.9	46.5				54.5	48.6	49.3				74.6		$9,435	$1,433	$8,002

Frequently Asked Questions about Forest Hill Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Forest Hill Elementary?

Students at Forest Hill Elementary are 57% Hispanic, 26% White, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What district is Forest Hill Elementary in?

Burke County Schools

How many students attend Forest Hill Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 305 students attended Forest Hill Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Forest Hill Elementary attend?

Students who attend Forest Hill Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Liberty Middle
High : Patton High School

Is Forest Hill Elementary a good school?

Forest Hill Elementary ranks in the bottom 18.3% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Forest Hill Elementary!

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Schools in Morganton, NC

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.