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Burns Middle

Q: Is Burns Middle a good school?

Burns Middle ranks 294 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

294^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 62% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Burns Middle is a public middle school in Lawndale, NC, serving about 744 students in grades 6-8 as part of Cleveland County Schools. Despite nearly all students (99.6%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school performs better than many in the region, with a 2025-26 statewide rank of 294th out of 778 middle schools (62nd percentile, 3 stars). That places it ahead of nearby Shelby Middle, Kings Mountain Middle, and Lincolnton Middle, while trailing only Crest Middle and Jacobs Fork Middle among the immediate comparison group.

Burns shows genuine bright spots. In 6th grade math, 73.4% of students scored proficient, well above the district (64.1%) and state (59.2%), and the highest among nearby schools. In 8th grade science, 75.4% were proficient, beating nearly every surrounding school except West Lincoln Middle (77.8%). The school is especially effective with economically disadvantaged and English-learning students, earning 4-star ratings in those subgroups. After a dip in 2023-24, the school’s overall rank has risen for two straight years, from the 52nd to the 62nd percentile, suggesting a positive trajectory.

Still, there are clear areas to watch. Only 46.3% of 8th graders were proficient in math, well below the state (53.0%) and behind schools like Crest (62.1%) and Shelby (58.9%). 7th grade reading also trails state averages. Chronic absenteeism sits at 29.1%, higher than the district and state rates, and represents an opportunity for improvement. Gifted students and those with disabilities have shown fluctuating results in recent years. Overall, Burns Middle demonstrates that high-poverty schools can achieve strong outcomes, but targeted support in 8th grade math and 7th grade reading—plus better attendance—could help it climb even higher.

744

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

215 Shady Grove Road
Lawndale, NC 28090-9483

(704) 476-8223

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Burns Middle usually attend:

High:	Burns High
	Cleveland ECHS

Feeder schools for Burns Middle:

Elementary:	Casar Elementary
	Fallston Elementary
	Union Elementary
	Washington Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.8%

African American:

15.6%

Hispanic:

9.8%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Burns Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2016 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

294^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 246Cleveland 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	60.5	294 of 778	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	349 of 773	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	377 of 793	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	315 of 784	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.2	291 of 786	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.1	180 of 741	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	71.5	185 of 737	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	59.9	283 of 691	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.2	324 of 694	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.1	371 of 692	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.0	350 of 705	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	45.0	335 of 627	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.1	346 of 673	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	64.2	263 of 662	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.3	285 of 648	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.4	212 of 640	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.4	177 of 630	71.9%	★★★★☆
2008	65.3	229 of 620	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.8	226 of 606	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.4	301 of 598	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	51.7	227 of 553	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	39.8	317 of 546	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	293 of 560	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	303 of 559	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.1	141 of 550	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	75.9	71 of 533	86.7%	★★★★☆
2019	69.4	100 of 519	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	56.7	168 of 494	66.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	25.3	373 of 449	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.1	368 of 478	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	44.3	257 of 504	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.7	197 of 475	58.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	60.4	77 of 356	78.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	262 of 731	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.9	343 of 733	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.1	341 of 738	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.5	311 of 731	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.5	250 of 733	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.2	169 of 706	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.8	205 of 684	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	60.0	279 of 656	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	53.0	285 of 465	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.6	295 of 458	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.5	289 of 461	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.2	266 of 452	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.4	242 of 450	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.3	169 of 448	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	76.8	2 of 416	99.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.8	103 of 566	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	65.1	148 of 562	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	193 of 564	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.6	92 of 553	83.4%	★★★★☆
2022	75.7	80 of 541	85.2%	★★★★☆
2021	92.6	22 of 522	95.8%	★★★★★
2019	82.2	48 of 493	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	64.9	125 of 472	73.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	161 of 725	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.9	262 of 729	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	323 of 743	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.8	209 of 735	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	61.7	210 of 689	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	81.6	58 of 633	90.8%	★★★★★
2019	80.6	63 of 639	90.1%	★★★★★
2018	67.9	144 of 604	76.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.4	308 of 736	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	323 of 733	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.5	371 of 751	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	306 of 747	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.1	295 of 748	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.2	175 of 711	75.4%	★★★★☆
2019	71.6	173 of 697	75.2%	★★★★☆
2018	58.7	280 of 665	57.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	185 of 333	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.7	133 of 328	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	143 of 306	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	160 of 302	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.4	199 of 283	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.6	137 of 248	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	224 of 500	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.2	350 of 478	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	53.9	144 of 473	69.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	380 of 644	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.7	420 of 649	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	454 of 652	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.1	405 of 656	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.2	387 of 658	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.2	232 of 632	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.1	263 of 624	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.4	341 of 596	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)78th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile~ school

African American (2026)59th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2026)55th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)44th percentile-18 vs school

White (2026)41st percentile-21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)39th percentile-24 vs school

Disabled (2022)17th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science75%+7 vs state

Mathematics60%+4 vs state

Reading57%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Burns Middle

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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 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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
Burns Middle	Public	6-8	215 Shady Grove Road	Lawndale	28090	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8223	744	43	17.1	99.6%	512 (68.8%)	116 (15.6%)	73 (9.8%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.1%)	60.5	294^th of 778 public middle schools	62.2%		53.5	349^th of 773 public middle schools	54.9%	55		73.4	62.2	46.3		59.5	52.8	58.8		75.4	$9,061	$807	$8,254
West Lincoln Middle	Public	6-8	260 Shoal Rd	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-1760	563	39	14.4	98.8%	473 (84.0%)	6 (1.1%)	48 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.9%)	57.8	324^th of 778 public middle schools	58.4%		52.8	359^th of 773 public middle schools	53.6%	35		57.4	53.8	56.7		56.5	56.5	58.8		77.8	$8,615	$996	$7,618
John Chavis Middle School	Public	6-8	103 South Chavis Drive	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9606	412	27	14.9	99.3%	296 (71.8%)	38 (9.2%)	56 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	44	444^th of 778 public middle schools	42.9%		45.9	427^th of 773 public middle schools	44.8%	17		46.0	54.3	53.4		43.2	51.2	50.4		73.7	$9,634	$956	$8,678
Shelby Middle	Public	6-8	1480 South Dekalb Street	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8328	588	35	16.6	99.5%	178 (30.3%)	293 (49.8%)	74 (12.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	32	538^th of 778 public middle schools	30.8%		37.6	488^th of 773 public middle schools	36.9%	50		48.5	38.4	58.9		42.5	40.7	52.4		48.6	$11,218	$923	$10,295
Crest Middle	Public	6-8	315 Beaver Dam Church Rd	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8221	810	50	16.3	98.9%	490 (60.5%)	200 (24.7%)	71 (8.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (5.7%)	64.2	255^th of 778 public middle schools	67.2%		60.9	276^th of 773 public middle schools	64.3%	21		61.2	63.4	62.1		55.9	60.3	69.7		68.2	$8,409	$668	$7,741
Kings Mountain Intermediate	Public	5-6	227 Kings Mountain Boulevard	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8366	601	32	19.0	99.3%	352 (58.6%)	144 (24.0%)	56 (9.3%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.7%)								(n/a)	63.0	69.5			52.0	58.5			71.2		$8,233	$1,444	$6,788
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
Kings Mountain Middle	Public	7-8	1000 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8340	631	37	16.9	99.5%	348 (55.2%)	162 (25.7%)	58 (9.2%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (8.9%)	52.6	373^rd of 778 public middle schools	52.1%		54.9	329^th of 773 public middle schools	57.4%	44			53.5	53.8			58.0	60.8		62.1	$8,838	$691	$8,147
Lincolnton Middle	Public	6-8	2361 Startown Road	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 735-1120	563	41	13.8	99.5%	250 (44.4%)	79 (14.0%)	166 (29.5%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.3%)	35.3	512^th of 778 public middle schools	34.2%		29.8	551^st of 773 public middle schools	28.7%	39		47.4	46.2	49.7		44.8	44.5	42.9		68.3	$8,847	$1,187	$7,659
East Rutherford Middle School	Public	6-8	259 East Church Street	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-3750	533	27	20.0	98.7%	350 (65.7%)	66 (12.4%)	76 (14.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.9%)	32.1	537^th of 778 public middle schools	31.0%		37.2	492^nd of 773 public middle schools	36.4%	45		63.5	39.8	29.7		51.9	36.3	46.5		60.5	$9,615	$916	$8,699

Frequently Asked Questions about Burns Middle

Is Burns Middle a good school?

Burns Middle ranks 294^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Burns Middle attend?

Students who attend Burns Middle usually go on to attend Burns High

What is the racial makeup of Burns Middle?

Students at Burns Middle are 69% White, 16% African American, 10% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What district is Burns Middle in?

Cleveland County Schools

How many students attend Burns Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 744 students attended Burns Middle.

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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.