Beta You're viewing our redesigned school list. Prefer the classic layout?

Catawba County Schools

At a glance

82^ndof 242 North Carolina districts▼ 11

Better than 66% of North Carolina districts

Elementary 16 Middle 5 High 6 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

2285 North Anderson Avenue
Newton, NC 28658-1000·(828) 464-8333·All North Carolina district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 66.1% of districts

Schools

16,003

Students

5-star school

Top rankedChallenger Early College High16^th of 641 North Carolina high schools

▲

Biggest riser

Maiden Elementary up 86 spots statewide this year

◉

Smallest classes

Webb A Murray Elementary 13.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare North Carolina districts →See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

The Catawba County Schools district in North Carolina consists of 27 schools, including 16 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 6 high schools. The district as a whole is ranked 82 out of 242 school districts in the state and has a 3-out-of-5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out as exceptional performers. Challenger Early College High is ranked 16th out of 641 high schools in North Carolina and has a 5-star rating, with over 90% proficiency in several key subject areas. Mountain View Elementary is ranked 250th out of 1,490 elementary schools and has a 4-star rating, with very high proficiency rates in math and reading. Bandys High is ranked 181st out of 641 high schools and has a 4-star rating, with strong test scores, particularly in Math III.

However, the performance of schools within the Catawba County Schools district varies significantly. While some schools excel, others struggle, with lower proficiency rates, especially in subjects like Math I. There appears to be a correlation between higher poverty rates, as measured by free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, and lower test scores. Interestingly, spending per student and student-teacher ratios do not seem to be strong predictors of school performance in this district.

Load more schools when map is moved

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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Balls Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2620 Balls Creek Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-4766	686	42	16.4	99.6%	508 (74.1%)	29 (4.2%)	65 (9.5%)	36 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (7.0%)	68.4	418^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.9%		71.2	383^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	74.6%	35					72.0	68.3	73.7	84.7			47.0	59.4	45.5	63.9			74.7		$9,471	$1,315	$8,156
Bandys High	Public	9-12	5040 E Bandys Road	Catawba	28609	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-1471	935	40	23.1	40.5%	696 (74.4%)	42 (4.5%)	116 (12.4%)	17 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (6.8%)	69.2	181^st of 641 public high schools	71.8%		68.4	192^nd of 640 public high schools	70.0%	11	61.4	63.1	56.8	85.2															$8,843	$732	$8,111
Banoak Elementary	Public	K-6	7651 W NC 10 Hwy	Vale	28168	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 462-2849	291	17	16.6	99.0%	230 (79.0%)	5 (1.7%)	25 (8.6%)	9 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.6%)	65	485^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.4%		69.2	421^st of 1505 public elementary schools	72.0%	64					71.2	61.0	63.6	61.5			57.7	56.1	54.5	59.6			70.5		$9,603	$1,411	$8,191
Blackburn Elementary	Public	K-6	4377 W NC 10 Hwy	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 462-1344	484	28	17.3	99.0%	277 (57.2%)	24 (5.0%)	82 (16.9%)	60 (12.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	39 (8.1%)	65.3	479^th of 1490 public elementary schools	67.9%		63.3	519^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.5%	40					58.8	69.6	68.5	79.5			42.5	65.2	53.4	58.9			72.6		$9,091	$979	$8,112
Bunker Hill High	Public	9-12	4675 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-3355	845	40	21.1	99.6%	457 (54.1%)	69 (8.2%)	179 (21.2%)	86 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.4%)	30.3	441^st of 641 public high schools	31.2%		38.7	377^th of 640 public high schools	41.1%	64	40.5	43.6	24.7	59.4															$8,880	$745	$8,136
Catawba Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5415 Hudson Chapel Road	Catawba	28609	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 241-3131	450	26	17.0	99.3%	279 (62.0%)	33 (7.3%)	75 (16.7%)	24 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (8.7%)	52.2	707^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.6%		59.5	590^th of 1505 public elementary schools	60.8%	117					65.7	50.8	61.0	81.9			31.3	41.0	59.3	44.4			79.7		$9,663	$1,298	$8,365
Charles H Tuttle Elementary	Public	K-6	2872 Water Plant Road	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 428-3080	368	22	16.8	99.2%	262 (71.2%)	4 (1.1%)	54 (14.7%)	25 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (6.3%)	63.2	508^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.9%		60.7	571^st of 1505 public elementary schools	62.1%	63					60.7	75.5	71.0	71.2			46.4	58.5	47.8	55.9			69.6		$9,003	$737	$8,265
Claremont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3384 E Main Street	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 459-7921	462	29	16.0	99.4%	227 (49.1%)	47 (10.2%)	92 (19.9%)	51 (11.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.7%)	48	780^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.7%		57	634^th of 1505 public elementary schools	57.9%	146					60.3	62.5	55.7	58.9			46.0	59.7	35.0	35.7			68.9		$10,074	$1,575	$8,498
Clyde Campbell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2121 35th Avenue Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2769	505	31	16.1	99.4%	305 (60.4%)	22 (4.4%)	86 (17.0%)	46 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.1%)	71.1	372^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	75.0%		71.4	378^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.9%	6					74.7	71.2	71.0	66.1			62.0	63.6	56.5	59.3			60.9		$9,813	$1,428	$8,385
Fred T Foard High	Public	9-12	3407 Plateau Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 462-1496	930	43	21.8	46.9%	684 (73.5%)	30 (3.2%)	98 (10.5%)	48 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	67 (7.2%)	52.6	274^th of 641 public high schools	57.3%		57.9	245^th of 640 public high schools	61.7%	29	52.8	66.8	50.8	54.0															$8,769	$744	$8,025
Harry M Arndt Middle	Public	7-8	3350 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9545	601	36	16.7	99.5%	275 (45.8%)	44 (7.3%)	204 (33.9%)	28 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.3%)	49.2	392^nd of 773 public middle schools	49.3%		55.3	331^st of 793 public middle schools	58.3%	61									46.9	52.3					48.3	50.9		62.6	$7,986	$496	$7,490
Maiden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	245 Bob Smyre Ave	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 428-8769	562	32	17.6	98.9%	357 (63.5%)	48 (8.5%)	92 (16.4%)	26 (4.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (6.4%)	67.8	431^st of 1490 public elementary schools	71.1%		63.5	517^th of 1505 public elementary schools	65.6%	86					62.8	66.7	83.8	70.0			50.0	62.8	51.3	57.5			72.5		$9,171	$1,063	$8,108
Maiden High	Public	9-12	600 West Main Street	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 428-8197	852	41	20.7	49.1%	528 (62.0%)	54 (6.3%)	150 (17.6%)	57 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (7.4%)	47.8	320^th of 641 public high schools	50.1%		59.8	235^th of 640 public high schools	63.3%	85	46.2	49.3	43.5	75.0															$9,016	$684	$8,333
Mountain View Elementary	Public	K-6	5911 Dwayne Starnes Road	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 294-2020	708	40	17.5	99.6%	475 (67.1%)	33 (4.7%)	54 (7.6%)	74 (10.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (10.0%)	79.6	250^th of 1490 public elementary schools	83.2%		81.9	216^th of 1505 public elementary schools	85.6%	34					81.0	78.3	81.1	73.6			49.5	68.9	64.2	58.2			80.2		$8,895	$775	$8,120
Oxford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	5915 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 459-7220	540	33	16.3	98.7%	311 (57.6%)	29 (5.4%)	84 (15.6%)	71 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (8.3%)	25.1	1184^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.5%		27.4	1154^th of 1505 public elementary schools	23.3%	30					53.5	38.6	48.6	50.0			32.6	44.3	27.0	35.7			54.1		$9,354	$1,609	$7,745
Sherrills Ford Elementary	Public	K-6	8103 Sherrills Ford Road	Sherrills Ford	28673	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 478-2662	633	35	17.9	42.3%	464 (73.3%)	38 (6.0%)	71 (11.2%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (7.7%)	75.4	312^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.1%		72.5	365^th of 1505 public elementary schools	75.7%	53					76.1	69.6	76.3	74.7			50.0	59.8	67.7	62.7			73.1		$8,556	$592	$7,964
Saint Stephens Elementary	Public	K-6	684 30th Street NE	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2570	711	47	15.0	99.6%	194 (27.3%)	146 (20.5%)	254 (35.7%)	48 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.7%)	18.1	1313^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.9%		20.2	1281^st of 1505 public elementary schools	14.9%	32					48.5	36.9	28.2	49.5			24.2	41.7	25.2	45.0			38.8		$9,685	$1,747	$7,938
Saint Stephens High	Public	9-12	3205 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9841	1,268	57	22.0	99.8%	560 (44.2%)	109 (8.6%)	442 (34.9%)	62 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (7.5%)	58	243^rd of 641 public high schools	62.1%		50.2	297^th of 640 public high schools	53.6%	54	52.3	58.1	52.4	74.7															$8,502	$740	$7,761
Startown Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4119 Startown Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-1257	540	34	15.7	99.4%	289 (53.5%)	32 (5.9%)	103 (19.1%)	60 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (10.4%)	54.5	660^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.7%		58	618^th of 1505 public elementary schools	58.9%	42					76.1	55.8	52.9	65.8			45.1	57.1	48.5	53.2			60.3		$9,647	$1,184	$8,463
Webb A Murray Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3901 Section House Road	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2196	380	27	13.9	99.2%	102 (26.8%)	37 (9.7%)	184 (48.4%)	29 (7.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.1%)	37.4	957^th of 1490 public elementary schools	35.8%		39.5	939^th of 1505 public elementary schools	37.6%	18					37.5	55.1	60.4	54.1			25.0	49.0	47.9	55.7			52.1		$10,328	$1,457	$8,872
Jacobs Fork Middle	Public	7-8	3431 Plateau Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 462-1827	482	30	16.3	52.9%	327 (67.8%)	28 (5.8%)	60 (12.4%)	32 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.3%)	68	221^st of 773 public middle schools	71.4%		70.3	209^th of 793 public middle schools	73.6%	12									58.3	60.5					51.4	67.5		70.0	$8,548	$885	$7,663
Mill Creek Middle	Public	7-8	1041 Shiloh Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-1494	477	30	16.1	45.9%	353 (74.0%)	29 (6.1%)	54 (11.3%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.3%)	51.7	373^rd of 773 public middle schools	51.7%		64	260^th of 793 public middle schools	67.2%	113									57.6	44.4					56.4	51.9		54.9	$8,693	$756	$7,937
River Bend Middle	Public	7-8	4670 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-2754	450	27	16.6	99.3%	211 (46.9%)	29 (6.4%)	85 (18.9%)	74 (16.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	49 (10.9%)	43.2	448^th of 773 public middle schools	42.0%		38.9	497^th of 793 public middle schools	37.3%	49									57.0	41.9					41.7	47.4		57.9	$8,304	$825	$7,479
Lyle Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1845 Edgewater Drive NW	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-0299	458	31	14.6	99.3%	167 (36.5%)	14 (3.1%)	114 (24.9%)	109 (23.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.8%)	47.2	795^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.6%		44.4	850^th of 1505 public elementary schools	43.5%	55					64.5	60.0	60.4	41.7			56.5	52.7	43.4	33.3			64.2		$10,199	$1,523	$8,677
Challenger Early College High	Public	9-12	2550 Hwy 70 SE	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 485-2980	376	11	33.5	49.5%	131 (34.8%)	10 (2.7%)	122 (32.4%)	72 (19.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (10.6%)	95.5	16^th of 641 public high schools	97.5%		95.6	21^st of 640 public high schools	96.7%	5	92.0	100.0	88.2	99.0															$6,093	$246	$5,847
Maiden Middle School	Public	7-8	518 North C Avenue	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 428-2326	451	28	16.4	98.9%	292 (64.7%)	21 (4.7%)	71 (15.7%)	38 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.4%)	57.8	299^th of 773 public middle schools	61.3%		62.8	267^th of 793 public middle schools	66.3%	32									56.6	51.8					47.9	57.1		67.4	$8,168	$563	$7,604
Catawba Rosenwald Education Center	Public, Alternative	K-12	403 6th Ave SW	Catawba	28609	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-2734	7	10	.6		5 (71.4%)	1 (14.3%)	1 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																			$51,001	$12,818	$38,183
Snow Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3238 Snow Creek Rd	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2335	551	36	15.1	99.5%	324 (58.8%)	14 (2.5%)	120 (21.8%)	40 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (9.6%)	67.7	434^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.9%		67.1	455^th of 1505 public elementary schools	69.8%	21					73.8	63.4	77.9	64.9			52.5	55.9	53.2	60.0			74.0		$9,304	$1,117	$8,187

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Newton Conover City Schools	5.94 mi	7	79^th
Lincoln County Schools	6.67 mi	23	68^th
Iredell-Statesville Schools	10.42 mi	38	102^nd
West Lake Preparatory Academy	11.54 mi	1	109^th
Lincoln Charter School	12.31 mi	1

See the top NC North Carolina districts

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.