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Drexel Elementary

Q: Is Drexel Elementary a good school?

Drexel Elementary ranks 375 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

375^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Drexel Elementary is a pre-K–5 school in Morganton, NC, that serves 477 students as part of Burke County Schools. It is a high-poverty school, with more than 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Drexel currently ranks 375th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, putting it in the 75th percentile with a 4-star rating—a sharp improvement from the prior year's 51st percentile. Only Salem Elementary (82nd percentile) and Icard Elementary (81st percentile) rank higher among nearby schools, even though most surrounding schools have similarly high poverty levels.

Academically, Drexel exceeds both its district and the state in every tested grade and subject. Its 4th grade reading proficiency rate is 74.6%—roughly 19 points above the district and 17 points above the state. Fifth grade science has also been a consistent strength, hovering between roughly 75% and 80% proficiency over the past several years. The school is especially effective with its economically disadvantaged students, whose statewide subgroup ranking is the 88th percentile. Hispanic students and boys also rank strongly, in the 77th and 78th percentiles respectively.

Attendance and spending are additional bright spots. Drexel's chronic absenteeism rate is 16.7%, well below the state average of 24.2%, and its per-pupil spending of $9,435 is lower than most neighboring schools. The main areas for growth include outcomes for special education students, which rank below the school's overall performance. Gifted student results have also swung sharply from year to year, likely due to small class sizes. Overall, Drexel stands out as a strong academic performer in a high-poverty area, producing results above district and state averages across the board.

477

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

100 Alta Vista Street
Morganton, NC 28655

(828) 437-3160

District: Burke County Schools

Students who attend Drexel Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Heritage Middle
High:	Draughn High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.2%

Hispanic:

11.5%

Asian:

8.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Drexel Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (69% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (75th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg61%

375^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary 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	72.2	375 of 1492	74.9%	★★★★☆
2025	51.0	733 of 1490	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.1	473 of 1505	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.6	310 of 1502	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.0	389 of 1514	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	62.7	525 of 1489	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.7	264 of 1473	82.1%	★★★★☆
2018	67.8	444 of 1434	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	61.4	549 of 1429	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.4	670 of 1425	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.5	759 of 1440	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.9	822 of 1390	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	35.0	948 of 1403	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.8	584 of 1388	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.0	664 of 1381	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	60.9	57 of 106	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	31.3	671 of 897	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	64.8	116 of 533	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	115 of 485	76.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.4	45 of 385	88.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.4	426 of 1447	70.6%	★★★★☆
2025	50.4	710 of 1451	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.6	589 of 1455	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.8	375 of 1459	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.9	286 of 1458	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	71.3	346 of 1440	76.0%	★★★★☆
2019	77.1	261 of 1424	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	72.3	350 of 1405	75.1%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.0	274 of 743	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.3	487 of 710	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	70.8	29 of 669	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	54.3	366 of 582	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	53.2	322 of 500	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.6	245 of 494	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.8	453 of 612	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	65.0	15 of 69	78.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	223 of 981	77.3%	★★★★☆
2025	48.5	494 of 961	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	79.3	169 of 1434	88.2%	★★★★☆
2025	56.1	556 of 1437	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.4	176 of 1450	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	86.3	85 of 1437	94.1%	★★★★★
2022	81.8	128 of 1366	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	76.4	183 of 1329	86.2%	★★★★☆
2019	85.6	94 of 1361	93.1%	★★★★★
2018	71.5	285 of 1332	78.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.2	317 of 1451	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	52.0	685 of 1450	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.3	370 of 1464	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	265 of 1461	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	65.1	471 of 1464	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.8	644 of 1444	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.1	300 of 1430	79.0%	★★★★☆
2018	60.8	546 of 1413	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	468 of 821	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	645 of 801	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.3	556 of 1146	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	28.7	923 of 1172	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.9	628 of 1166	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.9	445 of 1183	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.3	444 of 1194	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.8	618 of 1172	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.4	419 of 1183	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.8	746 of 1178	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)88th percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)78th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)78th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)77th percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)63rd percentile-12 vs school

White (2026)51st percentile-23 vs school

Asian (2019)46th percentile-36 vs school

Special Education (2025)43rd percentile-8 vs school

Disabled (2018)25th percentile-44 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science75%+7 vs state

Mathematics73%+9 vs state

Reading64%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Drexel Elementary

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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/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 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
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%)	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
Valdese Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	298 Praley Street	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 874-0704	530	30	17.8	99.4%	422 (79.6%)	11 (2.1%)	44 (8.3%)	25 (4.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	24 (4.5%)	59.4	593^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	60.3%		56.5	623^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	58.2%	30	62.2	53.3	78.7				62.2	45.6	60.6				81.9		$8,594	$1,111	$7,483
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
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%)	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
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
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	99.0%	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
Baton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Baton School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-9531	357	23	15.4	99.2%	303 (84.9%)	6 (1.7%)	29 (8.1%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	55	654^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.2%		60	564^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.1%	90	78.7	53.8	61.2				66.0	50.0	53.1				69.4		$9,953	$1,175	$8,778
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%)	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
Icard Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3087 Icard School Road	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 397-3491	265	21	12.7	98.9%	188 (70.9%)	1 (0.4%)	32 (12.1%)	32 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	76.6	290^th of 1492 public elementary schools	80.6%		58.5	588^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.5%	298	81.6	72.1	76.9				68.4	60.5	61.5				82.1		$9,629	$1,361	$8,268

Frequently Asked Questions about Drexel Elementary

What district is Drexel Elementary in?

Burke County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Drexel Elementary?

Students at Drexel Elementary are 66% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American.

What schools do graduates of Drexel Elementary attend?

Students who attend Drexel Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Heritage Middle
High : Draughn High School

Is Drexel Elementary a good school?

Drexel Elementary ranks 375^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Drexel Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 477 students attended Drexel Elementary.

Rate Drexel Elementary!

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Schools in Morganton, NC

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.