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Patton High School

Q: Is Patton High School a good school?

Patton High School ranks 202 nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

202^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 69% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Patton High School, located in Morganton, NC, serves about 756 students in grades 9-12 and is part of the Burke County Schools district. For the 2025-2026 school year, Patton ranks 202nd out of 662 North Carolina high schools, earning a solid 3-star rating. What really stands out is that Patton exceeds both its district and the state average in every End-of-Course subject. Most impressive is Math I, where 72.2% of students are proficient compared to just 42.1% statewide—a 30-point gap that shows this school is doing something right. English II, Math III, and Biology also come in well above state averages.

Beyond test scores, Patton posts a strong 94.4% graduation rate and a chronic absenteeism rate of 19.4%, which is lower than the state's 24.2%. This is especially notable given that nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school appears highly effective for students who often face extra challenges, including English learners, low-income students, and female students, earning four-star ratings for those groups. Math III proficiency has also climbed sharply, from about 42% in 2022-2023 to nearly 75% in 2025-2026, showing sustained improvement.

When compared to neighboring schools, Patton stands out. It significantly outperforms Freedom High (which is only a few miles away) in every subject, and it's effectively tied with Draughn High School as the best traditional high school in Burke County—though Patton excels more in Biology and English while Draughn does better in advanced math. One thing to watch is the student-teacher ratio, which jumped to 24.3, signaling possible resource pressure. Overall, Patton is a high-poverty school that's achieving well above expectations, making it a strong option for families in the Morganton area.

756

Students ?

24.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

701 Enola Road
Morganton, NC 28655

(828) 433-3000

District: Burke County Schools

Feeder schools for Patton High School:

Elementary:	Forest Hill Elementary
	Mull Elementary
	Salem Elementary
Middle:	Liberty Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.1%

Hispanic:

21.8%

Two or more races:

3.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Patton High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 58th percentile in 2025 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (72% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the North Carolina average (87%)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 69th (2026) from a 58th-percentile low (2025)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school72%

District avg62%

North Carolina avg60%

202^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 26% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High 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	67.9	202 of 662	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.2	267 of 641	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.0	200 of 640	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.6	249 of 626	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	243 of 621	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.1	242 of 594	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.3	129 of 514	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	52.9	195 of 469	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	54.1	166 of 476	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.7	134 of 507	73.6%	★★★★☆
2015	46.4	205 of 531	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	42.1	207 of 451	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.7	97 of 505	80.8%	★★★★☆
2012	70.1	68 of 502	86.5%	★★★★☆
2011	70.6	80 of 506	84.2%	★★★★☆
2010	68.8	91 of 499	81.8%	★★★★☆
2009	66.8	100 of 490	79.6%	★★★★☆
2008	64.7	114 of 477	76.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	46.7	147 of 359	59.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	27.2	73 of 91	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	48.7	122 of 330	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.7	297 of 334	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.0	201 of 364	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	216 of 349	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	80 of 289	72.3%	★★★★☆
2025	50.6	99 of 273	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.1	68 of 262	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	66.6	38 of 226	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	26.3	102 of 124	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	171 of 173	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	106 of 147	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	146 of 629	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	53.3	265 of 610	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.5	200 of 602	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	271 of 588	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.9	237 of 594	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	125 of 475	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.7	113 of 475	76.2%	★★★★☆
2018	64.8	125 of 449	72.2%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	65.4	155 of 407	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	33.4	323 of 412	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	61.9	178 of 403	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.3	248 of 403	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.4	306 of 398	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.2	215 of 337	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	204 of 325	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.5	144 of 474	69.6%	★★★★☆
2025	52.3	176 of 462	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	132 of 454	70.9%	★★★★☆
2023	47.7	204 of 449	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	134 of 436	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	115 of 370	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.0	168 of 354	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	29.3	248 of 340	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	185 of 620	70.2%	★★★★☆
2025	49.2	246 of 606	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.8	194 of 613	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	214 of 597	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.9	160 of 544	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	45.8	150 of 432	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	105 of 446	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	40.7	226 of 424	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.7	253 of 624	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.0	249 of 601	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.7	191 of 607	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.3	224 of 602	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.7	216 of 585	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.9	201 of 481	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.7	136 of 488	72.1%	★★★★☆
2018	40.0	269 of 463	41.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	81.8	34 of 261	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	90.6	11 of 195	94.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.7	183 of 372	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	19.8	317 of 352	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	62.1	81 of 349	76.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	58.6	240 of 551	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.4	316 of 542	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.7	242 of 553	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.2	284 of 537	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.5	276 of 534	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.8	201 of 439	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.1	145 of 444	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.9	192 of 427	55.0%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2024)87th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2026)77th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)72nd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)70th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)70th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)63rd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)62nd percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)59th percentile-10 vs school

African American (2018)59th percentile~ school

White (2026)56th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)51st percentile-19 vs school

Asian (2022)20th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III75%+6 vs state

English II72%+8 vs state

Math I72%+30 vs state

Biology69%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Patton High School

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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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Patton High School	Public	9-12	701 Enola Road	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 433-3000	756	31	24.3	98.9%	530 (70.1%)	10 (1.3%)	165 (21.8%)	22 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	27 (3.6%)	67.9	202^nd of 662 public high schools	69.5%		54.2	267^th of 641 public high schools	58.3%	65	69.3	72.4	72.2	74.7	$9,266	$744	$8,523
Burke Middle College	Public	11-12	1001 Burkemont Ave	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 448-3175	130	3	43.3	97.7%	69 (53.1%)	2 (1.5%)	14 (10.8%)	40 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)				87.5	$4,804	$268	$4,536
Freedom High	Public	9-12	511 Independence Boulevard	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 433-1310	1,299	57	22.7	99.8%	595 (45.8%)	93 (7.2%)	459 (35.3%)	54 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (7.5%)	42	392^nd of 662 public high schools	40.8%		30.4	440^th of 641 public high schools	31.4%	48	54.9	56.4	49.6	61.3	$8,511	$796	$7,716
Hallyburton Academy	Public	6-12	205 South Main Street	Drexel	28619	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 437-4184	73	9	8.4	95.9%	45 (61.6%)	5 (6.8%)	12 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	10 (13.7%)								(n/a)	18.8				$18,048	$1,530	$16,517
Draughn High School	Public	9-12	709 Lovelady Road NE	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 879-4200	661	24	27.3	98.2%	495 (74.9%)	13 (2.0%)	69 (10.4%)	43 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	36 (5.4%)	68.2	201^st of 662 public high schools	69.6%		59	235^th of 641 public high schools	63.3%	34	62.7	66.3	77.9	85.1	$9,112	$776	$8,336
East Burke High	Public	9-12	3695 East Burke Boulevard	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 397-5541	874	38	23.1	99.4%	655 (74.9%)	16 (1.8%)	86 (9.8%)	71 (8.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (5.0%)	44.1	377^th of 662 public high schools	43.1%		56.3	254^th of 641 public high schools	60.4%	123	52.1	62.7	49.0	62.5	$9,240	$806	$8,435
West Caldwell High	Public	9-12	300 W Caldwell Drive	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 758-5583	634	36	17.7	98.7%	364 (57.4%)	63 (9.9%)	147 (23.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (8.5%)	14.8	584^th of 662 public high schools	11.8%		17.6	542^nd of 641 public high schools	15.4%	42	34.4	50.0	21.5	28.8	$11,229	$831	$10,398
South Caldwell High	Public	9-12	7035 Spartan Drive	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 396-2188	1,272	67	19.0	99.1%	1,030 (81.0%)	25 (2.0%)	151 (11.9%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (4.6%)	40.5	398^th of 662 public high schools	39.9%		51	288^th of 641 public high schools	55.1%	110	49.0	62.0	30.0	74.5	$9,486	$729	$8,757
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy	Public	9-12	2857 Hickory Boulevard	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4640	218	10	21.1	33.9%	173 (79.4%)	4 (1.8%)	25 (11.5%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.5%)	80.6	137^th of 662 public high schools	79.3%		84.4	113^th of 641 public high schools	82.4%	24	80.0	90.0	70.7	82.0	$8,388	$210	$8,178
Caldwell Early College	Public	9-12	2859 Hickory Blvd SW	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4636	387	16	24.9	39.0%	285 (73.6%)	8 (2.1%)	68 (17.6%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	85.6	102^nd of 662 public high schools	84.6%		87.2	95^th of 641 public high schools	85.2%	7	94.9	96.3	60.3	89.4	$7,027	$517	$6,510

Frequently Asked Questions about Patton High School

How many students attend Patton High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 756 students attended Patton High School.

What district is Patton High School in?

Burke County Schools

What schools feed into Patton High School?

Patton High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Forest Hill Elementary
Elementary : Mull Elementary
Elementary : Salem Elementary
Middle : Liberty Middle

Is Patton High School a good school?

Patton High School ranks 202^nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Patton High School?

Students at Patton High School are 70% White, 22% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

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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 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.