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Burke High

Q: Is Burke High a good school?

Burke High ranks 163 rd of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

163^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 248 South Carolina High Schools

Better than 34% of South Carolina high schools

Summary

Burke High is a public high school in downtown Charleston, SC, serving 342 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Charleston 01 school district. The school has historically faced significant challenges, but the most recent data shows a remarkable turnaround that makes it a school worth watching closely.

The headline story is Burke's dramatic academic improvement. After years of ranking in the bottom 10-20% of South Carolina high schools, Burke jumped to the 34th percentile in the 2025-2026 school year—a stunning 27-percentage-point gain in a single year. Algebra 1 proficiency soared to 77.28%, now exceeding both district and state averages, while U.S. History proficiency jumped from 36.9% to 60.8%. English 2 proficiency reached 76.25%, approaching the district average. This progress is especially notable given that 100% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, demonstrating that targeted interventions can overcome socioeconomic barriers. The school also shows particular strength with female students (47th percentile) compared to male students (13th percentile), suggesting a need for more targeted support for boys.

Burke invests heavily in its students, spending $39,636 per student—more than double what nearby Lucy Garrett Beckham High spends—and maintains an exceptionally low 5.5:1 student-teacher ratio. However, chronic absenteeism remains the school's biggest obstacle at 47.9%, more than double the district rate, and the dropout rate of 5.8% is nearly triple the state average. While Burke still trails elite selective schools like Academic Magnet High and Charleston School of the Arts, it now clearly outperforms North Charleston High in most academic measures. The graduation rate has climbed steadily from 71.7% to 78.6% over four years. For parents considering Burke, the trajectory is positive, but attendance and engagement remain critical factors to address for sustained success.

342

Students ?

5.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$40,414

Per pupil spending ?

84.1%

Directly certified for free meals (2023-24) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2023-24)

244 President Street
Charleston, SC 29403

(843) 579-4815

District: Charleston 01

Feeder schools for Burke High:

Elementary:	James Simons Montessori
	Memminger Elementary
	Mitchell Elementary
	Sanders-Clyde Elementary
Middle:	Simmons Pinckney Middle

Racial breakdown:

African American:

93.6%

Hispanic:

2.9%

Two or more races:

2.0%

See top rated South Carolina high schools

Compare Burke High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 18th percentile in 2016 → 34th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the South Carolina average (61% vs 69% meeting standards)

!Dropout rate above the South Carolina average (5% vs 2%)

!High chronic absenteeism (50% vs 21% South Carolina)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg75%

South Carolina avg69%

163^rd of 248

South Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 34%▲ up 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 18% (2016) to bottom 34% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of South Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 15High Schools in the Charleston 01

22^nd of 75Charleston 01 among South 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	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.3	163 of 248	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	10.8	222 of 240	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.8	202 of 243	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	196 of 237	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	196 of 226	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	205 of 227	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	204 of 225	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	190 of 216	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.7	176 of 223	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.0	190 of 231	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	32.3	156 of 232	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	7.1	201 of 210	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	7.0	192 of 203	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.0	189 of 202	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.9	181 of 199	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.7	194 of 199	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.9	178 of 188	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	7.9	176 of 185	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	30.2	173 of 191	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	31.4	172 of 191	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	6.3	181 of 187	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.2	76 of 200	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	23.1	169 of 196	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.2	133 of 197	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.8	128 of 199	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.0	118 of 190	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.8	116 of 178	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.5	132 of 184	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	125 of 183	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	32.6	91 of 139	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.9	93 of 143	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	14.8	126 of 137	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.4	122 of 229	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	10.6	214 of 229	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.4	187 of 231	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.9	204 of 223	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	200 of 220	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	193 of 213	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	202 of 213	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	194 of 210	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	39.0	156 of 241	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	16.4	203 of 230	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.8	189 of 235	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	177 of 226	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.4	179 of 220	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.0	181 of 213	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	194 of 217	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	185 of 214	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	South Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.4	203 of 233	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.3	206 of 228	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	203 of 234	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	164 of 229	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.2	182 of 224	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.4	191 of 215	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	191 of 218	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	184 of 213	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)62nd percentile+28 vs school

Female (2026)47th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)35th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2026)13th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs South Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 277%+13 vs state

English 276%-8 vs state

U.S. History and the Constitution61%~ state avg

Biology 1/Applied Biology 239%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Burke High

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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)				SC READY English Language Arts (2026)			SC READY Mathematics (2026)			SC READY Science (2026)	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 (2026)	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 (2026)	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution (2026)	EOCEP English 2 (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2023-24)	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	SC READY English Language Arts 6th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 7th Grade	SC READY English Language Arts 8th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 6th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 7th Grade	SC READY Mathematics 8th Grade	SC READY Science 6th Grade	EOCEP Algebra 1/Mathematics for the Technologies 2 End of Course	EOCEP Biology 1/Applied Biology 2 End of Course	EOCEP U.S. History and the Constitution End of Course	EOCEP English 2 End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Burke High	Public, Magnet	9-12	244 President Street	Charleston	29403	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 579-4815	342	62	5.5	—	5 (1.5%)	320 (93.6%)	10 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.0%)	35.3	163^rd of 248 public high schools	34.3%		10.8	222^nd of 240 public high schools	7.5%	59								77.3	38.7	60.8	76.3	$40,414	$1,689	$1,615	$3,305	$28,015	$9,094	$37,109
Charleston Charter School for Math and Science	Public, Charter	6-12	1002 King Street	Charleston	29403	Charleston County	Charleston 01	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 720-3085	573	48	11.9	59.6%	210 (36.6%)	284 (49.6%)	54 (9.4%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	74.6	52^nd of 248 public high schools	79.0%		72	45^th of 240 public high schools	81.3%	7	51.9	74.4	52.6	36.7	61.5	50.1	52.6	97.0	67.4	65.5	91.2	$21,512	$559	$320	$878	$15,834	$4,800	$20,634
Greg Mathis Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	2872 Azalea Drive	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	Yes	No	No	Yes	(843) 557-1611	71	5	14.2	—	0 (0.0%)	70 (98.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0.9	247^th of 248 public high schools	0.4%		1.3	239^th of 240 public high schools	0.4%	8									18.5	6.3		$26,648	$2,763	$301	$3,064	$16,433	$7,151	$23,584
Military Magnet Academy	Public, Magnet	6-12	2950 Carner Avenue	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	Yes	(843) 745-7102	393	45	8.6	—	11 (2.8%)	235 (59.8%)	133 (33.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	10 (2.5%)	61.8	96^th of 248 public high schools	61.3%		51	107^th of 240 public high schools	55.4%	11	43.1	44.4	67.9	30.8	22.3	55.4	29.3		65.2	49.1	93.1	$37,060	$1,975	$901	$2,876	$26,533	$7,651	$34,184
James Island Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	1000 Fort Johnson Road	Charleston	29412	Charleston County	Charleston 01	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 762-2754	1,612	106	15.2	33.2%	1,175 (72.9%)	275 (17.1%)	92 (5.7%)	14 (0.9%)	5 (0.3%)	4 (0.2%)	47 (2.9%)	81.3	37^th of 248 public high schools	85.1%		73.7	41^st of 240 public high schools	82.9%	4								85.0	77.7	72.3	90.8	$22,053	$872	$802	$1,674	$13,947	$6,433	$20,380
Allegro Charter School of Music	Public, Charter	6-12	4542 Simms Avenue	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	Yes	No	No	No	(843) 321-7104	250	27	9.2	82.9%	38 (15.2%)	158 (63.2%)	40 (16.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.2%)	63.4	88^th of 248 public high schools	64.5%		71.6	46^th of 240 public high schools	80.8%	42	34.1	54.2	47.5	20.5	27.1	27.5	11.4	83.3	56.8	47.8	93.5	$21,546	$1,301	$333	$1,634	$15,435	$4,477	$19,912
North Charleston High	Public	9-12	1087 East Montague Avenue	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	Yes	(843) 745-7140	829	90	9.2	—	43 (5.2%)	520 (62.7%)	242 (29.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.9%)	3.8	240^th of 248 public high schools	3.2%		4.1	236^th of 240 public high schools	1.7%	4									31.6	20.1	61.4	$23,228	$1,444	$1,343	$2,786	$15,279	$5,163	$20,442
Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies	Public	9-12	1088 East Montague Avenue	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 953-3231	0	15	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Lucy Garrett Beckham High	Public	9-12	1560 Mathis Ferry Road	Mount Pleasant	29464	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	No	No	No	(843) 856-6790	1,757	101	17.3	19.8%	1,439 (81.9%)	157 (8.9%)	84 (4.8%)	32 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (2.4%)	91.2	17^th of 248 public high schools	93.1%		87.4	15^th of 240 public high schools	93.8%	2									82.2	83.8	95.8	$16,254	$574	$403	$977	$11,988	$3,289	$15,277
Charleston School of the Arts	Public, Magnet	6-12	5109-B West Enterprise Street	North Charleston	29405	Charleston County	Charleston 01	No	Yes	No	No	(843) 529-4990	1,102	69	15.9	27.1%	771 (70.0%)	131 (11.9%)	98 (8.9%)	39 (3.5%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	59 (5.4%)	96.5	8^th of 248 public high schools	96.8%		90.7	10^th of 240 public high schools	95.8%	2	92.5	93.1	95.0	88.7	81.3	93.7	89.4		95.6	89.9	99.4	$19,330	$761	$595	$1,356	$13,786	$4,188	$17,974

Frequently Asked Questions about Burke High

What is the racial makeup of Burke High?

Students at Burke High are 94% African American, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% White.

Is Burke High a good school?

Burke High ranks 163^rd of 248 South Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Burke High in?

Charleston 01

How many students attend Burke High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 342 students attended Burke High.

What schools feed into Burke High?

Burke High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : James Simons Montessori
Elementary : Memminger Elementary
Elementary : Mitchell Elementary
Elementary : Sanders-Clyde Elementary
Middle : Simmons Pinckney Middle

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Latest South Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 12, 2026

2025–26 EOCEP & SC READY test scoresAug 10, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataNov 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Carolina Department of Education.

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.