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Burke County Public Schools, North Carolina, elections

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Burke County Public Schools
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District details
School board members: 7
Students: 11,690 (2023-2024)
Schools: 27 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Burke County Public Schools is a school district in North Carolina (Burke County). During the 2024 school year, 11,690 students attended one of the district's 27 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections

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Burke County Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large

Sharon Ivester Everhart and Jamey Wycoff ran in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large on November 5, 2024.

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Sharon Ivester Everhart (D)
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Jamey Wycoff (R) Candidate Connection

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Burke County Public Schools, Central District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District

Sonya Rockett and Don Hemstreet ran in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District on November 5, 2024.

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Sonya Rockett (R)
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Don Hemstreet (Unaffiliated)

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Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

Jeffrey Reid Beck ran in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District on November 5, 2024.

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Jeffrey Reid Beck (R)

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Burke County Public Schools, Western District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District

Brad Camp ran in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District on November 5, 2024.

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Brad Camp (R)

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Burke County Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent R.L. Icard won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of R.L. Icard
R.L. Icard (Nonpartisan)
 
97.5
 
5,480
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.5
 
138

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,618
(100.00% precincts reporting)
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Burke County Public Schools, Central District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District

Incumbent Don Hemstreet won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Don Hemstreet
Don Hemstreet (Nonpartisan)
 
98.6
 
5,732
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.4
 
81

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,813
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

Wendi Craven Barber defeated incumbent Randy Burns and Hope Hoyt in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
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Wendi Craven Barber (Nonpartisan)
 
42.7
 
2,630
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Randy Burns (Nonpartisan)
 
42.5
 
2,614
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Hope Hoyt (Nonpartisan)
 
14.5
 
891
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
18

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,153
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Burke County Public Schools, Western District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District

Incumbent Edna B. Weller defeated Randy Fox and Maurice Beam in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edna B. Weller
Edna B. Weller (Nonpartisan)
 
45.1
 
2,798
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Randy Fox (Nonpartisan)
 
32.5
 
2,018
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Maurice Beam (Nonpartisan)
 
22.1
 
1,370
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
21

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,207
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Burke County Public Schools, Central District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District

Incumbent Buddy Armour won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District on November 7, 2017.

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Buddy Armour (Nonpartisan)

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Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

Incumbent Sam Wilkinson won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District on November 7, 2017.

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Sam Wilkinson (Nonpartisan)

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Burke County Public Schools, Western District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District

Incumbent Seth Hunt Jr. won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District on November 7, 2017.

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Seth Hunt Jr. (Nonpartisan)

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Burke County Public Schools, At-large

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large

Incumbent R.L. Icard won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, At-large on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
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R.L. Icard (Nonpartisan)

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Burke County Public Schools, Central District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District

Incumbent Don Hemstreet won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Central District on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Don Hemstreet
Don Hemstreet (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District

Incumbent Randy Burns won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Eastern District on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Randy Burns
Randy Burns (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Burke County Public Schools, Western District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District

Incumbent Edna B. Weller won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
✔
Image of Edna B. Weller
Edna B. Weller (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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Burke County Public Schools, Western District

General election

General election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District

Incumbent Catherine Redman Thomas won election in the general election for Burke County Public Schools, Western District on November 5, 2013.

Candidate
✔
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Catherine Redman Thomas (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

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About the district

School board

Burke County Public Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Tiana BeachlerCentral District
Reid BeckCentral District
Brad CampEastern District
Aaron JohnsonWestern District
Sonya RockettWestern District
Leslie TaylorEastern District
James Wycoff

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Burke County Public Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
North Carolina House of Representatives District 86Hugh BlackwellRepublican Party 100% 100%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $34,331,000 $2,951 23%
Local: $22,543,000 $1,938 15%
State: $91,445,000 $7,862 62%
Total: $148,319,000 $12,751
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $145,419,000 $12,501
Total Current Expenditures: $137,779,000 $11,844
Instructional Expenditures: $85,534,000 $7,353 59%
Student and Staff Support: $13,847,000 $1,190 10%
Administration: $11,614,000 $998 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $26,784,000 $2,302 18%
Total Capital Outlay: $3,746,000 $322
Construction: $1,933,000 $166
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $173,000 $14
Interest on Debt: $908,000 $78

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 43 52 20-24 34 <50 34 48
2018-2019 45 51 28 35 >=50 36 48
2017-2018 43 51 27 37 >=50 41 45
2016-2017 50 55 27 42 <50 46 53
2015-2016 49 54 24 43 <50 44 51
2014-2015 48 52 26 39 >=50 45 50
2013-2014 47 48 23 38 <50 40-44 50
2012-2013 46 49 23 40 <50 35-39 49
2011-2012 88 91 74 87 >=80 80-84 89
2010-2011 89 92 75 87 >=50 80-84 90

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 47 46 30-34 31 <50 41 53
2018-2019 47 44 29 30 <50 39 53
2017-2018 47 44 32 29 PS 42 54
2016-2017 47 40 30 31 <50 46 53
2015-2016 48 39 30 33 <50 48 53
2014-2015 50 43 32 33 <50 46 55
2013-2014 48 35 31 32 <50 45-49 53
2012-2013 46 35 28 31 <50 40-44 50
2011-2012 79 67 65 70 >=80 75-79 82
2010-2011 77 65 66 67 >=50 70-74 80

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 92 >=90 >=90 80-84 PS >=90 93
2018-2019 90 >=95 80-89 85-89 PS 80-89 90
2017-2018 88 >=90 90-94 80-84 PS 80-89 89
2016-2017 86 >=90 >=90 85-89 PS >=90 84
2015-2016 91 >=95 >=90 90-94 80-89 91
2014-2015 90 >=95 >=90 90-94 PS >=80 89
2013-2014 91 >=95 90-94 85-89 PS 80-89 90
2012-2013 88 90-94 90-94 80-84 PS 80-89 88
2011-2012 85 >=95 85-89 85-89 PS 70-79 84
2010-2011 85 90-94 80-84 85-89 PS >=80 85

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 11,690 -0.7
2022-2023 11,770 1.2
2021-2022 11,632 -0.9
2020-2021 11,733 -5.1
2019-2020 12,334 0.8
2018-2019 12,230 -2.2
2017-2018 12,497 -0.7
2016-2017 12,584 -1.6
2015-2016 12,780 -1.6
2014-2015 12,984 1.3
2013-2014 12,810 -4.2
2012-2013 13,343 -1.2
2011-2012 13,504 -2.7
2010-2011 13,862 -1.6
2009-2010 14,078 -10.6
2008-2009 15,569 9.9
2007-2008 14,026 -3.4
2006-2007 14,499 -1.5
2005-2006 14,722 -1.1
2004-2005 14,888 0.6
2003-2004 14,803 0.3
2002-2003 14,752 0.6
2001-2002 14,669 0.6
2000-2001 14,588 1.5
1999-2000 14,369 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Burke County Public Schools (%) North Carolina K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.1 1.0
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 5.7 4.2
Black 3.9 24.5
Hispanic 20.7 21.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.1
Two or More Races 7.3 6.0
White 62.0 43.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Burke County Public Schools had 745.58 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 15.68.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 18.00
Kindergarten: 44.60
Elementary: 440.53
Secondary: 227.25
Total: 745.58

Burke County Public Schools employed 16.71 district administrators and 48.27 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 16.71
District Administrative Support: 33.58
School Administrators: 48.27
School Administrative Support: 67.99
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 160.24
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 8.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 25.25
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 8.37
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 16.88
Librarians/Media Specialists: 21.80
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 144.07
Other Support Services: 198.77

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Burke County Public Schools operates 27 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Burke Middle College13111-12
Burke Virtual Academy25KG-12
Drexel Elementary478PK-5
East Burke High8689-12
East Burke Middle6676-8
Forest Hill Elementary291PK-5
Freedom High1,3749-12
George Hildebrand Elementary328PK-5
Glen Alpine Elementary305PK-5
Hallyburton Academy1026-12
Heritage Middle4406-8
Hildebran Elementary295PK-5
Hillcrest Elementary258PK-5
Icard Elementary252PK-5
Jimmy C Draughn High School6569-12
Liberty Middle4596-8
Mountain View Elementary730PK-5
Mull Elementary280PK-5
North Liberty71PK-12
Oak Hill Elementary334PK-5
Ray Childers Elementary447PK-5
Robert L. Patton High School7539-12
Salem Elementary436PK-5
Table Rock Middle4546-8
Valdese Elementary524PK-5
Walter R Johnson Middle4396-8
W A Young Elementary293PK-5

About school boards

Education legislation in North Carolina

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See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics North Carolina
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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