Education on the other hand is suffering a bit. The average SAT score in N.C. for 2002 is 1020 and that of East Burke High School (made up of students from Valdese and surrounding municipalities) is 998, a difference of -22. Burke County as a whole has a 47.1% dropout rate which is close to 10 percentage points below that of the states 56.9%. So in the aspect of SAT scores the education system in and around Valdese should be improved compared to state statistics. But compared to the state's dropout rate, this community is holding up well and the dropout rate is decreasing yearly.
In a whole, Valdese is a little community settled by Italian immigrants looking for the prosperity, advantages, and opportunities that the U.S had to offer. Overtime Valdese's economic figures have soared and have become footholds in its growth and maturity. Its diversity is lacking and is not growing at a very fast rate but only because of the historical family descendents of the original settlers that make up a majority of the town's population. Crime is not much of an issue in this little town, and a big reason for that is that it is small and most people know and look out for each other, kind of like an extended family would do. Education is suffering a bit when it comes to SAT scores compared to the state's. …
