Summary:
Burke County High School is the only high school in Burke County, serving grades 9–12 in Waynesboro, GA, with an enrollment of 1,133 students and a predominantly low-income population (85% free/reduced lunch).
This school stands out for its strong graduation outcomes: 92.8% of students graduate, which is 5.6 points above the state average, and the dropout rate is just 1.5% compared to 2.4% statewide. However, academic proficiency on Milestones End-of-Course tests lags significantly behind state averages. In 2025–2026, only 16.3% of students were proficient in Algebra I (down from 24.6% the prior year), and U.S. History proficiency fell sharply from 43.7% to 33.2%, dropping below the state average. Biology is the lone bright spot, improving from 28.3% to 32.9% proficient, though it still trails the state by 14 points. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at 19.2%, above the state’s 17.7%.
Despite spending a substantial $17,626 per student—well above typical Georgia levels—test scores remain 15–30 points below state averages, suggesting that high poverty and attendance challenges may outweigh funding advantages. The school’s state ranking slipped from the 37th percentile to the 29th percentile over the past year, largely because other schools improved faster. Since Burke County High is the district’s only high school, its metrics mirror district-level data exactly. For parents, the takeaway is a school that excels at keeping students on track to graduate but faces significant hurdles in raising academic achievement, particularly in math and history, while showing some promise in science.
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