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Burton Elementary

Q: Is Burton Elementary a good school?

Burton Elementary ranks 459 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-5

459^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Burton Elementary is a PK-5 neighborhood school in Durham Public Schools serving roughly 293 students, nearly all of whom come from low-income families. It has transformed itself over the past decade: rated just 1 star and in the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools from 2015 through 2018, Burton now ranks #459 out of 1,492 schools statewide — the 69th percentile and a solid 3-star rating. That makes it one of the strongest traditional elementary schools in its part of Durham, trailing only the nearby Morehead Montessori magnet among local options.

Burton’s standout results come in reading. In 2025-2026, the school beat both the state and district averages in every tested elementary grade, with 5th grade reading proficiency at 75.6% — roughly 20 points above the state average and 24 points above the district. That same 5th grade class also posted strong math (75.6%) and science (78%) scores, comparable to or better than Morehead Montessori’s. Burton ranks well above nearby schools like R N Harris Elementary, Eastway Elementary, and Y E Smith Elementary, most of which sit in the bottom half of the state while serving similar populations. Math is a relative weak spot in 3rd grade, where proficiency trails the state average by about 12 points, though 4th and 5th grade math are above average.

Attendance and staffing help explain the school’s stability. Burton’s chronic absenteeism rate is 24.4% — roughly equal to the state average and far better than the district’s 36.1% or the 45%+ rates at several neighboring schools. Its student-teacher ratio of 10.7 to 1 is also favorable compared with most peers. The school’s support for students with disabilities ranks in the top 1% statewide, and its gifted program is in the 96th percentile. With only about 293 students, individual grade levels will fluctuate from year to year, but Burton’s sustained improvement suggests strong systems rather than luck — a neighborhood school beating the odds in a district rated just 2 stars.

293

Students ?

10.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Mathison Avenue
Durham, NC 27701-4500

(919) 560-3908

District: Durham Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.4%

Hispanic:

38.2%

White:

8.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Burton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 28th percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (68% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 41 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (69th percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg61%

459^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 42 pts since 2016

From bottom 28% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

155^th of 246Durham Public 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	67.6	459 of 1492	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	501 of 1490	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	580 of 1505	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.4	556 of 1502	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.0	477 of 1514	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	858 of 1489	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.6	662 of 1473	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.7	1068 of 1434	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.0	1123 of 1429	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.7	1033 of 1425	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.2	1176 of 1440	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.9	1143 of 1390	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.4	1198 of 1403	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	48.3	795 of 1388	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	26.2	1122 of 1381	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.1	1235 of 1363	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.8	1269 of 1354	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	11.1	1232 of 1324	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.4	1246 of 1293	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.8	1262 of 1276	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.5	179 of 903	80.2%	★★★★☆
2025	78.7	121 of 918	86.8%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	190 of 924	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	85.8	71 of 933	92.4%	★★★★★
2022	65.7	226 of 927	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	56.4	277 of 896	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.9	213 of 949	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	58.8	326 of 927	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	88.8	38 of 878	95.7%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	181 of 563	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.7	79 of 533	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	71.0	84 of 514	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	86.2	31 of 485	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	66.6	63 of 385	83.6%	★★★★☆
2019	85.1	39 of 497	92.2%	★★★★★
2018	64.6	92 of 421	78.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	484 of 1447	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.8	569 of 1451	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.0	666 of 1455	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.8	663 of 1459	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	66.5	429 of 1458	70.6%	★★★★☆
2021	37.3	874 of 1440	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.0	674 of 1424	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.1	1037 of 1405	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	31 of 743	95.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	155 of 981	84.2%	★★★★☆
2025	74.7	150 of 961	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.1	134 of 951	85.9%	★★★★☆
2023	73.1	164 of 915	82.1%	★★★★☆
2022	86.7	63 of 893	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	62.9	229 of 843	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	78 of 865	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	54.4	354 of 851	58.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.2	606 of 1434	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.1	349 of 1437	75.7%	★★★★☆
2024	61.8	459 of 1450	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	416 of 1437	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	70.7	273 of 1366	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	49.2	604 of 1329	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.0	470 of 1361	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.4	713 of 1332	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.8	416 of 1451	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	66.1	440 of 1450	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	485 of 1464	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.4	463 of 1461	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.4	482 of 1464	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.0	786 of 1444	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.7	748 of 1430	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	959 of 1413	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.6	12 of 815	98.5%	★★★★★

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)

Special Education (2026)99th percentile+29 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)96th percentile+27 vs school

Disabled (2019)96th percentile+41 vs school

Hispanic (2026)84th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)80th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)71st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)68th percentile~ school

Female (2026)67th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)58th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+10 vs state

Reading67%+10 vs state

Mathematics65%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, April 12, 2010

Burton elementry is the best school ever not just the teachers but their teaching methods Close Quote

Schools Near Burton 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
Burton Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1500 Mathison Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3908	293	27	10.7	99.0%	25 (8.5%)	136 (46.4%)	112 (38.2%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (5.1%)	67.6	459^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.2%		63.9	501^st of 1490 public elementary schools	66.4%	42	54.3	63.4	75.6				62.9	61.0	75.6				78.0		$14,102	$1,610	$12,492
R N Harris Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Cooper Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3967	313	22	14.5	99.0%	11 (3.5%)	146 (46.6%)	136 (43.5%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	37.4	954^th of 1492 public elementary schools	36.1%		25.1	1183^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	20.6%	229	54.1	44.7	67.3				41.5	34.0	45.3				78.4		$14,110	$1,680	$12,430
Maureen Joy Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	107 South Driver Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Maureen Joy Charter	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 908-1600	631	54	11.6	99.2%	15 (2.4%)	158 (25.0%)	425 (67.4%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	38.6	931^st of 1492 public elementary schools	37.6%		37.2	959^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.6%	28	67.2	67.7	40.0	69.1	81.9	68.1	45.3	54.8	41.4	42.6	56.9	71.0	50.0	79.7
Eastway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	610 North Alston Avenue	Durham	27701	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3910	331	31	10.5	99.1%	12 (3.6%)	128 (38.7%)	173 (52.3%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	22.9	1226^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.8%		17.1	1327^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	101	73.2	60.4	51.7				31.7	26.4	24.1				36.2		$13,790	$3,532	$10,259
Y E Smith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2410 E Main Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3900	358	23	15.6	99.2%	11 (3.1%)	145 (40.5%)	182 (50.8%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	9.1	1430^th of 1492 public elementary schools	4.2%		3.4	1482^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	0.5%	52	58.1	39.1	19.1				30.2	34.8	8.5				14.9		$17,541	$3,182	$14,359
C C Spaulding Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1531 S Roxboro Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3974	247	24	10.2	98.8%	22 (8.9%)	88 (35.6%)	117 (47.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.7%)	33.9	1029^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.0%		26	1156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.4%	127	59.5	48.5	80.8				40.5	24.2	38.5				69.2		$16,448	$4,879	$11,568
KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-8	1107 Holloway Street	Durham	27701	Durham County	KIPP Durham College Preparatory	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 973-0285	380	26	14.9	99.2%	9 (2.4%)	180 (47.4%)	183 (48.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	10.7	1409^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.6%		19.2	1289^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.5%	120	57.9	28.9		36.1	66.1	52.4	21.1	24.4		22.2	33.9	38.1		57.5
Fayetteville Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2905 Fayetteville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3944	261	21	12.6	97.3%	2 (0.8%)	119 (45.6%)	120 (46.0%)	16 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	22.5	1236^th of 1492 public elementary schools	17.2%		19.8	1284^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.8%	48	45.5	41.5	50.0				36.4	31.7	47.6				61.9		$12,761	$2,103	$10,658
Global Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1305 W Club Blvd	Durham	27705	Durham County	Global Scholars Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 682-5903	201	17	11.8	98.5%	0 (0.0%)	77 (38.3%)	121 (60.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	18.7	1302^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	12.7%		16.8	1328^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.9%	26	50.0	64.0	55.0	42.9	46.7	60.0	16.7	28.0	15.0	28.6	33.3	50.0	40.0	90.0
Morehead Montessori	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	909 Cobb Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3954	278	20	14.2	98.9%	136 (48.9%)	55 (19.8%)	46 (16.5%)	12 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (10.4%)	75.6	309^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.3%		77.3	287^th of 1490 public elementary schools	80.7%	22	81.8	55.0	67.6				81.8	65.0	73.5				80.0		$16,804	$1,621	$15,183

Frequently Asked Questions about Burton Elementary

Is Burton Elementary a good school?

Burton Elementary ranks 459^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Burton Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

How many students attend Burton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 293 students attended Burton Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Burton Elementary?

Students at Burton Elementary are 46% African American, 38% Hispanic, 9% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.