Caldwell County Schools

Summary:

The Caldwell County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 24 schools, including 14 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 6 high schools, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district's performance is mixed, with some standout schools and others that are underperforming compared to state averages.

The top-performing schools in the district are Caldwell Early College and Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy, which rank among the top 130 high schools in the state and earn 4 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. At the elementary level, Granite Falls Elementary and Hudson Elementary are the top performers, ranking in the top 650 elementary schools statewide and earning 3-4 out of 5 stars. In contrast, some schools like Gamewell Middle, Valmead Elementary, and Kings Creek Elementary are underperforming compared to district and state averages.

Overall, the Caldwell County Schools district is underperforming compared to the state, ranking 151 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and earning only 2 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. The district faces significant achievement gaps, with a wide range of performance between the highest and lowest-performing schools. Addressing these disparities and supporting the schools struggling with poverty and low test scores should be a priority for the district.

District Detail

1914 Hickory Boulevard SW
Lenoir, NC 28645

(828) 728-8407

SchoolDigger Rank:
151^st of 242 North Carolina districts

See the 2024 North Carolina District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 10,758

Primary Schools: 14
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 6
Alternative Schools: 1

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOC Biology (2024)	EOC English II (2024)	EOC Math I (2024)	EOC Math III (2024)	EOG Mathematics (2024)						EOG Reading (2024)						EOG Science (2024)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	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
Davenport A+ School	Public	PK, KG-5	901 College Avenue SW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6941	464	33	14.1	81.9%	179 (38.6%)	72 (15.5%)	166 (35.8%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.5%)	36.7	981^st of 1505 public elementary schools	34.8%		40.2	925^th of 1502 public elementary schools	38.4%	56					44.3	55.2	53.2				40.5	52.9	42.9				51.9		$9,609	$958	$8,651
Lower Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	630 Lower Creek Drive NE	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-4022	392	26	15.3	56.6%	296 (75.5%)	27 (6.9%)	34 (8.7%)	6 (1.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.9%)	64.4	498^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.9%		75.4	317^th of 1502 public elementary schools	78.9%	181					74.6	53.5	50.0				60.3	60.6	54.5				77.3		$8,688	$857	$7,832
Valmead Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	111 Elizabeth Drive NW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-9612	287	21	13.4	99.0%	146 (50.9%)	50 (17.4%)	57 (19.9%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	28 (9.8%)	21.3	1263^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	16.1%		3.8	1489^th of 1502 public elementary schools	0.9%	226					66.7	15.2	12.2				53.3	26.1	19.5				31.7		$13,388	$1,976	$11,412
Whitnel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1425 Berkley Street SW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-6423	300	25	12.1	99.0%	201 (67.0%)	14 (4.7%)	59 (19.7%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (7.0%)	33.6	1035^th of 1505 public elementary schools	31.2%		11.9	1389^th of 1502 public elementary schools	7.5%	354					64.7	47.1	50.0				41.2	35.3	36.1				61.1		$11,973	$1,307	$10,666
Horizons Elementary	Public	K-5	332 Greenhaven Dr. NW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 726-3855	22	13	1.6	86.4%	15 (68.2%)	4 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (13.6%)								(n/a)																			$39,602	$516	$39,086
Caldwell Online Academy	Public, Alternative	4-12	332 Greenhaven Dr NW	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(828) 726-3855	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	30.0	35.3	21.4	15.0				25.0	37.5	23.5				33.3	43.8	58.8		79.4
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy	Public	9-12	2857 Hickory Boulevard	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4640	214	13	16.2	37.9%	176 (82.2%)	2 (0.9%)	25 (11.7%)	6 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	80.9	130^th of 640 public high schools	79.7%		78.3	138^th of 626 public high schools	78.0%	8	71.9	87.9	50.0	89.5															$8,388	$210	$8,178
Caldwell Early College	Public	9-12	2859 Hickory Blvd SW	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4636	396	17	22.8	39.4%	305 (77.0%)	8 (2.0%)	65 (16.4%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.3%)	81.7	126^th of 640 public high schools	80.3%		83.6	110^th of 626 public high schools	82.4%	16	75.8	83.3	92.0	72.0															$7,027	$517	$6,510
Sawmills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4436 Sawmills School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2610	331	25	13.3	74.0%	275 (83.1%)	2 (0.6%)	43 (13.0%)	3 (0.9%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	33.8	1033^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	31.4%		18.3	1282^nd of 1502 public elementary schools	14.6%	249					64.3	46.0	43.8				45.2	44.0	37.5				50.0		$11,245	$974	$10,271
South Caldwell High	Public	9-12	7035 Spartan Drive	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 396-2188	1,317	85	15.4	50.1%	1,106 (84.0%)	16 (1.2%)	116 (8.8%)	11 (0.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	66 (5.0%)	46.9	318^th of 640 public high schools	50.3%		53.1	270^th of 626 public high schools	56.9%	48	50.3	60.4	39.8	60.3															$9,486	$729	$8,757
Hudson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Roy Coffey Drive	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-3712	654	45	14.6	71.7%	516 (78.9%)	11 (1.7%)	90 (13.8%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.0%)	57.2	631^st of 1505 public elementary schools	58.1%		55.6	656^th of 1502 public elementary schools	56.3%	25					65.3	41.0	67.3				52.0	47.0	51.3				80.5		$9,567	$1,023	$8,544
Hudson Middle	Public	6-8	291 Pine Mountain Road	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-4281	581	34	17.1	62.3%	491 (84.5%)	10 (1.7%)	53 (9.1%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.8%)	60	289^th of 793 public middle schools	63.6%		53.5	353^rd of 784 public middle schools	55.0%	64								60.8	60.1	40.2				58.0	52.2	54.9		66.8	$9,317	$1,021	$8,296
Gamewell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2904 Morganton Boulevard	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 758-1193	495	32	15.3	86.3%	352 (71.1%)	48 (9.7%)	42 (8.5%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (9.9%)	15.2	1359^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.7%		21	1244^th of 1502 public elementary schools	17.2%	115					35.7	33.3	26.7				31.0	38.3	40.7				40.7		$9,383	$1,070	$8,312
Gamewell Middle	Public	6-8	3210 Gamewell School Road	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6204	506	35	14.6	80.4%	300 (59.3%)	46 (9.1%)	111 (21.9%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.9%)	25.6	610^th of 793 public middle schools	23.1%		24.2	618^th of 784 public middle schools	21.2%	8								33.3	29.2	40.6				28.9	33.5	40.0		63.9	$8,743	$1,279	$7,464
Granite Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 N Highland Avenue	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2222	582	38	15.2	56.5%	467 (80.2%)	16 (2.7%)	65 (11.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.3%)	63.3	520^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.4%		73	361^st of 1502 public elementary schools	76.0%	159					78.0	53.5	63.5				63.0	53.5	49.0				67.7		$8,703	$796	$7,907
Granite Falls Middle	Public	6-8	4 West Highland Ave	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2341	537	35	15.5	52.5%	438 (81.6%)	14 (2.6%)	61 (11.4%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.5%)	63.3	263^rd of 793 public middle schools	66.8%		70.1	203^rd of 784 public middle schools	74.1%	60								65.1	54.3	58.8				48.6	49.4	50.3		80.0	$9,031	$920	$8,111
Happy Valley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1350 Yadkin River Road	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-3496	222	16	13.9	71.6%	204 (91.9%)	5 (2.3%)	3 (1.4%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.6%)	41.1	910^th of 1505 public elementary schools	39.5%		35.9	991^st of 1502 public elementary schools	34.0%	81					52.4	31.3	55.9	35.3	18.2	21.7	28.6	37.5	50.0	47.1	40.9	65.2	76.5	73.9	$10,168	$1,178	$8,990
Hibriten High	Public	9-12	1350 Panther Trail SE	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 758-7376	843	52	16.1	62.4%	555 (65.8%)	74 (8.8%)	139 (16.5%)	10 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	62 (7.4%)	38.2	382^nd of 640 public high schools	40.3%		39.7	356^th of 626 public high schools	43.1%	26	39.7	55.6	34.6	60.8															$10,067	$942	$9,125
Dudley Shoals Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Dudley Shoals Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-3457	437	30	14.5	71.6%	372 (85.1%)	4 (0.9%)	32 (7.3%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	20 (4.6%)	43.5	864^th of 1505 public elementary schools	42.6%		27.4	1131^st of 1502 public elementary schools	24.7%	267					60.6	61.9	36.9				43.9	47.6	49.2				60.0		$9,484	$1,010	$8,473
Baton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Baton School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-9531	368	27	13.6	64.9%	325 (88.3%)	8 (2.2%)	17 (4.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.1%)	60.8	568^th of 1505 public elementary schools	62.3%		55	672^nd of 1502 public elementary schools	55.3%	104					78.0	64.2	39.6				66.0	59.7	39.6				71.7		$9,953	$1,175	$8,778
Collettsville School	Public	PK, KG-8	4690 Collettsville School Rd	Collettsville	28611	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6913	334	22	15.2	67.7%	305 (91.3%)	2 (0.6%)	15 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.6%)	54.3	678^th of 1505 public elementary schools	55.0%		57.6	629^th of 1502 public elementary schools	58.1%	49					51.5	64.9	61.0	61.1	52.6	51.2	42.4	54.1	43.9	44.4	47.4	56.1	78.0	68.3	$9,454	$800	$8,654
William Lenoir Middle	Public	6-8	1366 Wildcat Trail	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 726-3910	509	37	13.6	61.1%	332 (65.2%)	49 (9.6%)	95 (18.7%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.1%)	53.6	351^st of 793 public middle schools	55.7%		41.3	446^th of 784 public middle schools	43.1%	95								51.5	49.1	36.1				50.3	48.4	51.6		83.1	$9,237	$791	$8,446
Gateway School	Public	6-12	1889 Dudley Shoals Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-8373	58	12	4.8	94.8%	39 (67.2%)	4 (6.9%)	7 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (13.8%)	8.2	608^th of 640 public high schools	5.0%		10.5	577^th of 626 public high schools	7.8%	31	18.8		14.3							9.1						9.1		36.4	$28,313	$1,830	$26,484
West Caldwell High	Public	9-12	300 W Caldwell Drive	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 758-5583	753	47	15.8	67.9%	452 (60.0%)	82 (10.9%)	161 (21.4%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (6.9%)	17.9	529^th of 640 public high schools	17.3%		23.7	490^th of 626 public high schools	21.7%	39	33.0	46.7	15.1	34.3															$11,229	$831	$10,398
Kings Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3680 Wilkesboro Boulevard	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 754-6039	156	14	11.2	71.8%	141 (90.4%)	3 (1.9%)	5 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.5%)	25.7	1183^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	21.4%		42.8	884^th of 1502 public elementary schools	41.1%	299					41.2	33.3	26.3	40.0	46.7	38.9	23.5	50.0	31.6	53.3	53.3	33.3	63.2	72.2	$11,461	$1,809	$9,651

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Burke County Schools	2.92 mi	27	110^th
The New Dimensions School	8.87 mi	1	40^th
Oak Hill Charter School	9.32 mi	1	214^th
NC Health and Human Services	9.44 mi	11
Deaf and Blind Schools	10.26 mi	3

Caldwell County Schools

District Detail

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