Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

East Burke Middle

Q: Is East Burke Middle a good school?

East Burke Middle ranks 249 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

249^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 68% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

East Burke Middle is a 6–8 public middle school in Connelly Springs, NC, serving 630 students in Burke County Schools. The school currently ranks at the 68th percentile statewide, making it the highest-ranked middle school among its nearby comparison group, just ahead of Liberty Middle and Heritage Middle, and well ahead of schools like Gamewell Middle and Grandview Middle. This is especially notable because 99.2% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school is getting better-than-typical statewide results for a student body with this economic profile. After dipping to the 50th percentile in 2023–2024, the school rebounded sharply in 2025–2026, jumping more than 130 places in a single year.

Academically, East Burke has several clear strengths. Reading proficiency exceeds district and state averages in all three grade levels, and the school appears to build reading skills well as students advance through middle school. Its 6th grade math is a standout: 74.1% proficiency versus 59.2% statewide. The school also posts unusually strong subgroup results, with low-income students ranking at the 86th percentile statewide and Hispanic students at the 80th percentile, measures of school effectiveness that show East Burke is serving its largest student groups well. The main academic weakness is upper-grade math, where 7th and 8th grade scores trail the district average; schools like Heritage Middle and Walter R Johnson Middle post stronger 8th grade math results.

Attendance is the clearest opportunity for improvement. East Burke's chronic absenteeism rate is 22.6%, well above the district average of 18.3% and far higher than same-district peers like Liberty Middle (12.7%) and Walter R Johnson Middle (11.5%). The school has also seen recent declines in outcomes for English language learner and special education students. Overall, East Burke is a solid, recovering school whose strong 6th grade cohort and proven effectiveness with low-income students suggest it has a realistic path toward even stronger rankings if attendance improves.

630

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3519 Miller Bridge Road
Connelly Springs, NC 28612

(828) 397-7446

District: Burke County Schools

Students who attend East Burke Middle usually attend:

High:

East Burke High

Feeder schools for East Burke Middle:

Elementary:	George Hildebrand Elementary
	Hildebran Elementary
	Icard Elementary
	Ray Childers Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.9%

Hispanic:

9.4%

Asian:

9.2%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare East Burke Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (63% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg58%

249^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

83^rd of 246Burke 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
2026	64.9	249 of 778	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	383 of 773	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.4	381 of 793	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.3	241 of 784	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.5	197 of 786	74.9%	★★★★☆
2021	66.1	221 of 741	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	66.6	236 of 737	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.5	234 of 691	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.3	198 of 694	71.5%	★★★★☆
2016	77.2	133 of 692	80.8%	★★★★☆
2015	78.2	133 of 705	81.1%	★★★★☆
2014	82.2	96 of 627	84.7%	★★★★☆
2013	76.6	125 of 673	81.4%	★★★★☆
2012	72.6	170 of 662	74.3%	★★★★☆
2011	74.6	152 of 648	76.5%	★★★★☆
2010	74.9	141 of 640	78.0%	★★★★☆
2009	74.5	157 of 630	75.1%	★★★★☆
2008	68.4	191 of 620	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	72.5	142 of 606	76.6%	★★★★☆
2006	68.2	178 of 598	70.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	102 of 121	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	91 of 111	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	88 of 110	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.3	77 of 110	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.9	76 of 109	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.1	79 of 99	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	84 of 102	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	86 of 95	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	61.5	90 of 449	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	38.3	297 of 478	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.3	163 of 504	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.3	138 of 475	70.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	38.2	211 of 363	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	71.2	51 of 371	86.3%	★★★★☆
2024	55.0	100 of 356	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	80.9	23 of 318	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	70.9	36 of 312	88.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	258 of 731	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.0	409 of 733	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.4	415 of 738	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.2	302 of 731	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.0	254 of 733	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	242 of 706	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	287 of 684	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	269 of 656	59.0%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	238 of 465	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.4	352 of 458	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.7	331 of 461	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	65.9	142 of 452	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	190 of 450	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	274 of 448	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.5	207 of 416	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.8	113 of 566	80.0%	★★★★☆
2025	51.1	250 of 562	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.6	238 of 564	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.6	131 of 553	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	175 of 541	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	81.4	52 of 522	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	70.2	94 of 493	80.9%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	144 of 472	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	77.9	100 of 725	86.2%	★★★★☆
2025	63.0	205 of 729	71.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.6	273 of 743	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.7	134 of 735	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	83.8	54 of 689	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	82.6	50 of 633	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	74.9	99 of 639	84.5%	★★★★☆
2018	76.7	84 of 604	86.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	235 of 736	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.7	310 of 733	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.9	306 of 751	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.6	187 of 747	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.9	152 of 748	79.7%	★★★★☆
2021	69.2	192 of 711	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	71.3	176 of 697	74.7%	★★★★☆
2018	70.5	177 of 665	73.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	95 of 333	71.5%	★★★★☆
2025	46.2	179 of 328	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	69.0	75 of 302	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	76.8	37 of 248	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	52.9	98 of 237	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.7	27 of 221	87.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	370 of 500	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	44.6	194 of 478	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.6	240 of 473	49.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	43.5	391 of 644	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.9	516 of 649	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.4	512 of 652	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.2	376 of 656	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.4	328 of 658	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.2	378 of 632	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.9	367 of 624	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.4	362 of 596	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)80th percentile+12 vs school

Disabled (2022)80th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)71st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)68th percentile~ school

Female (2026)65th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)49th percentile-19 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)42nd percentile-26 vs school

White (2026)39th percentile-29 vs school

Special Education (2026)26th percentile-42 vs school

Asian (2026)16th percentile-52 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science74%+6 vs state

Mathematics64%+8 vs state

Reading59%+3 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate East Burke Middle and help other families decide.

Rate East Burke Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near East Burke Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Burke Middle	Public	6-8	3519 Miller Bridge Road	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 397-7446	630	40	15.9	99.2%	459 (72.9%)	14 (2.2%)	59 (9.4%)	58 (9.2%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	32 (5.1%)	64.9	249^th of 778 public middle schools	68.0%		50.7	383^rd of 773 public middle schools	50.5%	134	74.1	58.9	57.9	56.2	61.1	59.5	74.4	$8,638	$679	$7,959
Granite Falls Middle	Public	6-8	4 West Highland Ave	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2341	518	34	15.3	99.4%	402 (77.6%)	16 (3.1%)	65 (12.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (6.0%)	47.2	420^th of 778 public middle schools	46.0%		65.9	243^rd of 773 public middle schools	68.6%	177	58.6	42.1	53.5	49.7	53.9	63.0	61.8	$9,031	$920	$8,111
Heritage Middle	Public	6-8	1951 Enon Road	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 874-0731	475	29	16.1	99.2%	349 (73.5%)	19 (4.0%)	43 (9.1%)	30 (6.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (6.3%)	61.7	280^th of 778 public middle schools	64.0%		66.5	237^th of 773 public middle schools	69.3%	43	55.3	66.3	73.5	50.0	62.6	53.2	76.9	$8,601	$890	$7,711
Grandview Middle	Public	6-8	451 Catawba Valley Boulevard S	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 328-2289	347	24	14.5	99.1%	112 (32.3%)	79 (22.8%)	100 (28.8%)	23 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (9.2%)	24.3	611^th of 778 public middle schools	21.5%		36.1	504^th of 773 public middle schools	34.8%	107	42.6	53.9	36.0	36.9	38.2	46.3	50.0	$9,432	$1,144	$8,288
Northview Middle	Public	6-8	302 28th Avenue NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 327-6300	481	28	17.3	99.4%	191 (39.7%)	86 (17.9%)	110 (22.9%)	24 (5.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (14.1%)	42	463^rd of 778 public middle schools	40.5%		40.4	468^th of 773 public middle schools	39.5%	5	59.1	43.8	49.4	53.2	47.9	52.1	60.2	$8,178	$747	$7,431
Jacobs Fork Middle	Public	7-8	3431 Plateau Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 462-1827	482	30	16.3	52.9%	327 (67.8%)	28 (5.8%)	60 (12.4%)	32 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.3%)	61.9	279^th of 778 public middle schools	64.1%		68	221^st of 773 public middle schools	71.4%	58		68.4	51.2		59.0	58.6	73.8	$8,548	$885	$7,663
Hudson Middle	Public	6-8	291 Pine Mountain Road	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-4281	551	33	16.6	98.9%	456 (82.8%)	6 (1.1%)	66 (12.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.6%)	55.2	350^th of 778 public middle schools	55.0%		47.8	407^th of 773 public middle schools	47.3%	57	56.3	50.5	59.3	59.9	49.2	61.0	75.6	$9,317	$1,021	$8,296
Liberty Middle	Public	6-8	529 Enola Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 437-1330	453	29	15.6	99.3%	307 (67.8%)	15 (3.3%)	80 (17.7%)	16 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.7%)	63.4	265^th of 778 public middle schools	65.9%		65	252^nd of 773 public middle schools	67.4%	13	79.8	63.4	51.0	57.6	58.5	54.4	73.2	$8,674	$830	$7,844
Harry M Arndt Middle	Public	7-8	3350 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9545	601	36	16.7	99.5%	275 (45.8%)	44 (7.3%)	204 (33.9%)	28 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.3%)	53.2	368^th of 778 public middle schools	52.7%		49.2	392^nd of 773 public middle schools	49.3%	24		56.2	53.1		56.7	51.1	72.4	$7,986	$496	$7,490
Gamewell Middle	Public	6-8	3210 Gamewell School Road	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6204	457	30	15.3	98.5%	282 (61.7%)	47 (10.3%)	89 (19.5%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.7%)	19.7	652^nd of 778 public middle schools	16.2%		18.6	648^th of 773 public middle schools	16.2%	4	40.8	37.8	26.8	44.2	48.1	34.2	47.7	$8,743	$1,279	$7,464

Frequently Asked Questions about East Burke Middle

What district is East Burke Middle in?

Burke County Schools

How many students attend East Burke Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 630 students attended East Burke Middle.

What high school do graduates of East Burke Middle attend?

Students who attend East Burke Middle usually go on to attend East Burke High

Is East Burke Middle a good school?

East Burke Middle ranks 249^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of East Burke Middle?

Students at East Burke Middle are 73% White, 9% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

Rate East Burke Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Connelly Springs, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for East Burke Middle!

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.