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New Dimensions

Q: Is New Dimensions a good school?

New Dimensions ranks 837 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

837^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

New Dimensions is a K-8 school in Morganton, NC, serving 569 students and operating as its own single-school district, The New Dimensions School. This structure sets it apart from nearby campuses, which are PK-5 elementary schools within Burke County Schools. The school has shown a clear downward trend in recent years, falling from a five-star rating at the 93rd percentile in 2020-2021 to a two-star rating at the 44th percentile in 2025-2026. Only about a third of its students are economically disadvantaged — a dramatically different profile from neighboring schools, where 95% or more qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, New Dimensions offers a mixed picture. Early elementary math is a clear strength: 3rd and 4th grade proficiency rates run roughly ten percentage points above state averages. Eighth grade is another bright spot, with reading and math proficiency well above statewide levels. However, elementary reading is consistently below state averages, and 5th grade stands out as a major weakness. In 5th grade science, just 52.9% of students are proficient, far below the state rate of 67.7% and well behind the average of nearby schools like Mull Elementary (83.8%) and Valdese Elementary (81.9%). Subgroup results also raise concerns, particularly for White students (18th percentile), Special Education students (22nd), and Gifted and Talented students (2nd percentile).

Perhaps the most surprising finding is that, despite serving far fewer low-income students than its neighbors, New Dimensions is not outperforming them. Several high-poverty schools rank higher in the latest state comparisons, including Salem Elementary (82nd percentile) and Drexel Elementary (75th percentile). Chronic absenteeism at New Dimensions has also climbed from 7.8% to 20.2% over the past few years, making it the highest among all ten nearby comparison schools. While the school has genuine pockets of excellence, the combination of rising absenteeism, weak 5th grade performance, and uneven outcomes across student groups points to these as the most urgent areas for improvement.

569

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

33.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

550 Lenoir Road
Morganton, NC 28655

(828) 437-5753

District: The New Dimensions School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.9%

Two or more races:

5.4%

African American:

3.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare New Dimensions to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 67th percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

North Carolina avg59%

Elementary school

837^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 33% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

308^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 40%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 34% (2016) to top 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

107^th of 246The New Dimensions School 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	837 of 1492	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.1	596 of 1490	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	608 of 1505	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.8	364 of 1502	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	84.2	192 of 1514	87.3%	★★★★☆
2021	91.2	103 of 1489	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	72.1	365 of 1473	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.0	276 of 1434	80.8%	★★★★☆
2017	72.7	356 of 1429	75.1%	★★★★☆
2016	65.4	475 of 1425	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	63.2	510 of 1440	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.0	574 of 1390	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.9	538 of 1403	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	74.3	311 of 1388	77.6%	★★★★☆
2011	66.3	484 of 1381	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.9	704 of 1363	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	25.5	1086 of 1354	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.3	1104 of 1324	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	13.9	1191 of 1293	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.8	1254 of 1276	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	915 of 1447	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	56.3	614 of 1451	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	615 of 1455	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.2	410 of 1459	71.9%	★★★★☆
2022	79.0	236 of 1458	83.8%	★★★★☆
2021	86.5	138 of 1440	90.4%	★★★★★
2019	74.1	316 of 1424	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	308 of 1405	78.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.6	725 of 743	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	896 of 1434	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	51.1	666 of 1437	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.7	681 of 1450	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.6	242 of 1437	83.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.1	679 of 1451	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.2	597 of 1450	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	577 of 1464	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.3	310 of 1461	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	86.1	152 of 1464	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	90.8	93 of 1444	93.6%	★★★★★
2019	66.3	437 of 1430	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.8	299 of 1413	78.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.8	634 of 815	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	58.6	237 of 821	71.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.6	944 of 1146	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.0	791 of 1172	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.6	799 of 1166	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.4	554 of 1183	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.5	351 of 1194	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	80.4	181 of 1172	84.6%	★★★★☆
2019	49.9	610 of 1183	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.8	455 of 1178	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	308 of 778	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.0	172 of 773	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	79.6	135 of 793	83.0%	★★★★☆
2023	71.4	196 of 784	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	161 of 786	79.5%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	134 of 741	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.5	292 of 737	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.5	280 of 691	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.0	347 of 694	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.1	232 of 692	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.9	284 of 705	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	47.1	316 of 627	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.9	267 of 673	60.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.9	331 of 731	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	81.7	107 of 733	85.4%	★★★★☆
2024	82.7	103 of 738	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	67.3	208 of 731	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	68.6	209 of 733	71.5%	★★★★☆
2021	74.6	156 of 706	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	83.1	86 of 684	87.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.1	308 of 465	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	47.6	361 of 725	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.4	226 of 729	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	87.6	51 of 743	93.1%	★★★★★
2023	72.2	138 of 735	81.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	265 of 736	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.1	252 of 733	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.1	188 of 751	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	188 of 747	74.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	120 of 748	84.0%	★★★★☆
2021	81.6	107 of 711	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	40.5	442 of 697	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.5	406 of 644	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.3	254 of 649	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.6	220 of 652	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	269 of 656	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	254 of 658	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.8	166 of 632	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	43.6	371 of 624	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	457 of 596	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Male (2026)53rd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2026)22nd percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)18th percentile-26 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-41 vs school

Middle school

Male (2026)64th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)55th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-10 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-23 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)34th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics63%+3 vs state

Science60%-8 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near New Dimensions

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
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%)	44.4	837^th of 1492 public elementary schools	43.9%		58.1	596^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.0%	241	76.1	71.4	51.4	54.2	50.9	67.9	52.2	50.0	45.7	50.0	62.3	69.8	52.9	69.8
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%)	36	981^st of 1492 public elementary schools	34.2%		25.1	1181^st of 1490 public elementary schools	20.7%	200	67.6	45.7	58.1				61.8	37.1	25.6				65.1		$11,197	$1,694	$9,503
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%)	38.3	938^th of 1492 public elementary schools	37.1%		28.6	1107^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.7%	169	69.9	56.1	54.8				48.8	43.9	42.3				60.6		$9,734	$1,324	$8,410
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	—	78 (25.6%)	25 (8.2%)	175 (57.4%)	7 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.6%)	20.5	1272^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	14.7%		23.1	1217^th of 1490 public elementary schools	18.3%	55	53.3	45.7	36.4				48.9	37.0	38.6				52.3		$10,628	$1,562	$9,066
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	—	194 (62.6%)	40 (12.9%)	38 (12.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	34 (11.0%)	30.4	1082^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	27.5%		29.1	1102^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	26.0%	20	46.0	53.8	52.2				34.0	48.1	52.2				63.0		$9,195	$1,040	$8,155
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	—	316 (66.2%)	23 (4.8%)	55 (11.5%)	41 (8.6%)	4 (0.8%)	3 (0.6%)	35 (7.3%)	72.2	375^th of 1492 public elementary schools	74.9%		51	733^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	50.8%	358	75.3	76.2	66.2				62.4	74.6	57.4				75.0		$9,435	$1,433	$8,002
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	—	203 (69.8%)	8 (2.7%)	48 (16.5%)	13 (4.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.8%)	51.9	694^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.5%		64	499^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.5%	195	63.6	49.0	81.1				47.7	47.1	62.2				83.8		$11,063	$1,857	$9,205
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	—	377 (79.2%)	3 (0.6%)	65 (13.7%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	77.2	275^th of 1492 public elementary schools	81.6%		70.7	378^th of 1490 public elementary schools	74.6%	103	76.3	77.3	78.3				65.0	64.9	63.3				78.3		$9,182	$1,028	$8,153
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%)	63.5	527^th of 1492 public elementary schools	64.7%		37.9	953^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	36.0%	426	71.7	73.9	56.1				52.2	63.0	63.4				75.6		$10,309	$1,352	$8,957
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	—	180 (61.0%)	14 (4.7%)	49 (16.6%)	20 (6.8%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.2%)	58.2	612^th of 1492 public elementary schools	59.0%		60.4	557^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.6%	55	76.7	69.1	64.2				74.4	54.5	47.2				62.3		$10,621	$1,368	$9,253

Frequently Asked Questions about New Dimensions

How many students attend New Dimensions?

In the 2024-25 school year, 569 students attended New Dimensions.

What is the racial makeup of New Dimensions?

Students at New Dimensions are 88% White, 5% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Hispanic.

Is New Dimensions a good school?

New Dimensions ranks 837^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is New Dimensions in?

The New Dimensions School

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.