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South Caldwell High

Q: Is South Caldwell High a good school?

South Caldwell High ranks 288 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

288^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 55% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

South Caldwell High is a public high school in Hudson, North Carolina, serving 1,299 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Caldwell County Schools district, which is ranked 141 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

South Caldwell High has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking, ranging from 155 out of 476 high schools in 2016-2017 to 365 out of 621 in 2021-2022. Its SchoolDigger rating has also varied, with 3 stars out of 5 in most years, but dropping to 2 stars in 2021-2022. The school's performance has been uneven across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students performing relatively well, but White students and students with disabilities struggling in recent years. South Caldwell High's four-year graduation rate of around 85-88% is slightly below the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, West Caldwell High and Hibriten High have similar performance to South Caldwell High, while Caldwell Early College and Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy have significantly higher rankings and test scores. South Caldwell High's high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, at 98.69% in 2023-2024, and relatively lower per-student spending of $9,486 in 2018-2019 may be contributing factors to its academic performance.

1,272

Students ?

19.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,486

Per pupil spending ?

99.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7035 Spartan Drive
Hudson, NC 28638-9540

(828) 396-2188

District: Caldwell County Schools

Feeder schools for South Caldwell High:

Elementary:	Baton Elementary
	Granite Falls Elementary
	Hudson Elementary
	Sawmills Elementary
Middle:	Granite Falls Middle
	Hudson Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

81.0%

Hispanic:

11.9%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare South Caldwell High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 59th percentile in 2015 → 55th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg53%

288^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 41% (2015) to top 45% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5High Schools in the Caldwell County Schools

141^st of 242Caldwell County Schools among North 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	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	51.0	288 of 641	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	318 of 640	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	270 of 626	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.6	365 of 621	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	293 of 594	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.9	195 of 514	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.8	219 of 469	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.3	155 of 476	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.6	174 of 507	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.7	219 of 531	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	48.4	166 of 451	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	43.1	205 of 505	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.2	139 of 502	72.3%	★★★★☆
2011	71.9	73 of 506	85.6%	★★★★☆
2010	69.8	80 of 499	84.0%	★★★★☆
2009	69.4	76 of 490	84.5%	★★★★☆
2008	67.3	90 of 477	81.1%	★★★★☆
2007	60.6	134 of 453	70.4%	★★★★☆
2006	63.7	126 of 431	70.8%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	36.0	187 of 330	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.7	114 of 334	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.6	82 of 364	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	40.8	179 of 349	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	176 of 273	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.5	55 of 262	79.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	273 of 610	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	285 of 602	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	287 of 588	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.4	395 of 594	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	216 of 475	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	227 of 475	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.0	249 of 449	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	286 of 412	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.8	228 of 403	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.3	193 of 403	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.8	282 of 398	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.1	175 of 337	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.2	157 of 325	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	244 of 462	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	57.7	145 of 454	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.1	120 of 449	73.3%	★★★★☆
2022	19.7	382 of 436	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.8	315 of 370	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.0	238 of 354	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	273 of 340	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	53.7	221 of 606	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.9	285 of 613	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	246 of 597	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.2	288 of 544	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	167 of 432	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	143 of 446	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.6	150 of 424	64.6%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	290 of 601	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.0	343 of 607	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.8	255 of 602	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.6	320 of 585	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.4	189 of 481	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.1	181 of 488	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	48.6	220 of 463	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.2	100 of 253	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	27.7	206 of 261	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.2	113 of 249	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.8	193 of 226	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.8	148 of 199	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	39.5	195 of 352	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.6	156 of 349	55.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	350 of 542	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.6	400 of 553	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.5	344 of 537	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.1	415 of 534	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.3	245 of 439	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	280 of 444	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.0	314 of 427	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)64th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)60th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

Male (2025)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)47th percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2025)45th percentile-10 vs school

Disabled (2022)43rd percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)36th percentile-20 vs school

White (2025)35th percentile-20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)31st percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III79%+13 vs state

English II63%+3 vs state

Biology40%-8 vs state

Math I36%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near South Caldwell High

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)	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 7th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
South Caldwell High	Public	9-12	7035 Spartan Drive	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 396-2188	1,272	67	19.0	99.1%	1,030 (81.0%)	25 (2.0%)	151 (11.9%)	7 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (4.6%)	51	288^th of 641 public high schools	55.1%		46.9	318^th of 640 public high schools	50.3%	30	40.5	62.7	35.7	79.0			$9,486	$729	$8,757
Caldwell Early College	Public	9-12	2859 Hickory Blvd SW	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4636	387	16	24.9	39.0%	285 (73.6%)	8 (2.1%)	68 (17.6%)	8 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	87.2	95^th of 641 public high schools	85.2%		81.7	126^th of 640 public high schools	80.3%	31	89.8	92.5	55.4	93.4			$7,027	$517	$6,510
Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy	Public	9-12	2857 Hickory Boulevard	Hudson	28638	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 759-4640	218	10	21.1	33.9%	173 (79.4%)	4 (1.8%)	25 (11.5%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.5%)	84.4	113^th of 641 public high schools	82.4%		80.9	130^th of 640 public high schools	79.7%	17	78.2	87.3	60.0	85.2			$8,388	$210	$8,178
Gateway School	Public	6-12	1889 Dudley Shoals Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-8373	53	9	5.9	94.3%	33 (62.3%)	2 (3.8%)	9 (17.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (15.1%)								(n/a)			18.2		7.7	23.1	$28,313	$1,830	$26,484
Draughn High School	Public	9-12	709 Lovelady Road NE	Valdese	28690	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 879-4200	661	24	27.3	98.2%	495 (74.9%)	13 (2.0%)	69 (10.4%)	43 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	36 (5.4%)	59	235^th of 641 public high schools	63.3%		71.4	172^nd of 640 public high schools	73.1%	63	50.3	60.5	64.7	69.3			$9,112	$776	$8,336
East Burke High	Public	9-12	3695 East Burke Boulevard	Connelly Springs	28612	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 397-5541	874	38	23.1	99.4%	655 (74.9%)	16 (1.8%)	86 (9.8%)	71 (8.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (5.0%)	56.3	254^th of 641 public high schools	60.4%		54.5	265^th of 640 public high schools	58.6%	11	58.9	67.1	41.5	63.5			$9,240	$806	$8,435
Hibriten High	Public	9-12	1350 Panther Trail SE	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 758-7376	818	39	21.0	98.7%	538 (65.8%)	71 (8.7%)	147 (18.0%)	7 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (6.5%)	39	383^rd of 641 public high schools	40.2%		38.2	382^nd of 640 public high schools	40.3%	1	31.9	54.4	30.3	72.5			$10,067	$942	$9,125
Hickory High	Public	9-12	1234 3rd Street NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 322-5860	1,024	38	26.6	99.7%	358 (35.0%)	196 (19.1%)	297 (29.0%)	47 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.6%)	120 (11.7%)	26.1	486^th of 641 public high schools	24.2%		37.8	390^th of 640 public high schools	39.1%	96	23.9	49.0	25.6	57.9			$8,704	$694	$8,010
Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School	Public	9-12	409 8th Avenue NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 328-6738	201	13	15.2	98.5%	107 (53.2%)	22 (10.9%)	45 (22.4%)	6 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (10.4%)	56.6	253^rd of 641 public high schools	60.5%		61.7	224^th of 640 public high schools	65.0%	29	47.4	78.4	22.2	80.4			$15,342	$1,043	$14,299
West Caldwell High	Public	9-12	300 W Caldwell Drive	Lenoir	28645	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 758-5583	634	36	17.7	98.7%	364 (57.4%)	63 (9.9%)	147 (23.2%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (8.5%)	17.6	542^nd of 641 public high schools	15.4%		17.9	529^th of 640 public high schools	17.3%	13	21.7	37.2	28.4	39.7			$11,229	$831	$10,398

Frequently Asked Questions about South Caldwell High

How many students attend South Caldwell High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,272 students attended South Caldwell High.

What is the racial makeup of South Caldwell High?

Students at South Caldwell High are 81% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What district is South Caldwell High in?

Caldwell County Schools

What schools feed into South Caldwell High?

South Caldwell High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Baton Elementary
Elementary : Granite Falls Elementary
Elementary : Hudson Elementary
Elementary : Sawmills Elementary
Middle : Granite Falls Middle
Middle : Hudson Middle

Is South Caldwell High a good school?

South Caldwell High ranks 288^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate South Caldwell High!

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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.