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

West Caldwell High

Q: Is West Caldwell High a good school?

West Caldwell High ranks in the bottom 11.8% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend West Caldwell High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 634 students attended West Caldwell High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of West Caldwell High?

Students at West Caldwell High are 57% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into West Caldwell High?

West Caldwell High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Collettsville School Elementary : Gamewell Elementary Middle : Gamewell Middle

Public Grades 9-12

584^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 12% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

West Caldwell High is a traditional public high school in Lenoir, NC, serving 634 students in grades 9–12 within Caldwell County Schools. The school currently ranks 584th out of 662 North Carolina high schools (12th percentile) with a 1-star rating, making it the lowest-performing traditional high school in its region. Nearly all students — 98.74% — qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, but nearby schools with similar poverty levels perform substantially better. Within Caldwell County Schools itself, West Caldwell trails its local peers by wide margins: South Caldwell High and Hibriten High both rank near the 40th percentile, while West Caldwell sits at the 12th.

The academic gaps are most dramatic in math. Only 28.8% of West Caldwell students passed Math III, compared to 66.2% in the district, 68.9% statewide, 74.5% at South Caldwell, and 71.9% at Hibriten. Math I proficiency is also very low at 21.5%, as is Biology at 34.4%. The graduation rate of 82.4% is the lowest among comparable nearby high schools, and chronic absenteeism affects 36% of students — the highest in the area and well above the state's 24.2%. The school also ranks in the bottom 15% statewide for nearly every student subgroup, including special education, English learners, and low-income students, suggesting the challenges are school-wide rather than isolated to one group.

The comparison to Draughn High School in nearby Burke County Schools is especially telling. Draughn serves a similar number of students (661) with nearly identical poverty rates (98.18%), yet ranks in the 70th percentile with 85.1% Math III proficiency and a 93.1% graduation rate. West Caldwell actually spends more per student ($11,229) than most neighboring schools and has a lower student-teacher ratio, so resources alone don't explain the results. The school's ranking has declined steadily over the past decade, but there are small signs of improvement: the graduation rate rose from 74.2% to 82.4% and Biology proficiency improved from 21.7% to 34.4%. Still, the overall picture is of a school with significant room for growth.

634

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,229

Per pupil spending ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 W Caldwell Drive
Lenoir, NC 28645-9671

(828) 758-5583

District: Caldwell County Schools

Feeder schools for West Caldwell High:

Elementary:	Collettsville School
	Gamewell Elementary
Middle:	Gamewell Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.4%

Hispanic:

23.2%

African American:

9.9%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare West Caldwell High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2016 → 12th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (34% vs 60% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (82% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg60%

584^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

162^nd of 246Caldwell 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
2026	14.8	584 of 662	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.6	542 of 641	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	529 of 640	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	490 of 626	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	482 of 621	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.4	405 of 594	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	350 of 514	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	345 of 469	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	343 of 476	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.7	362 of 507	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.4	305 of 531	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	26.8	300 of 451	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.6	276 of 505	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.7	285 of 502	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.8	189 of 506	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	60.5	187 of 499	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	64.2	124 of 490	74.7%	★★★★☆
2008	70.0	68 of 477	85.7%	★★★★☆
2007	46.7	258 of 453	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	58.9	157 of 431	63.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	391 of 450	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	421 of 440	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	384 of 437	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.3	268 of 434	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.5	332 of 430	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.9	137 of 364	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.9	198 of 369	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.4	81 of 359	77.4%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	41.9	156 of 330	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.7	241 of 334	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	271 of 364	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.3	223 of 349	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.6	286 of 289	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.2	247 of 273	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.8	88 of 156	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	542 of 629	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.3	514 of 610	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	531 of 602	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	473 of 588	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.8	439 of 594	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.0	303 of 475	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.7	365 of 475	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	366 of 449	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.8	368 of 407	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	27.6	343 of 412	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.6	353 of 403	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	47.4	269 of 403	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	345 of 398	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.9	204 of 337	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.3	151 of 325	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.8	51 of 100	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	12.6	441 of 474	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	415 of 462	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	402 of 454	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	396 of 449	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	381 of 436	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.9	273 of 370	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.7	196 of 354	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	15.7	314 of 340	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	18.6	542 of 620	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.1	474 of 606	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.5	463 of 613	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	420 of 597	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.3	391 of 544	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	45.0	153 of 432	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.9	223 of 446	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.1	269 of 424	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	11.3	572 of 624	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.7	529 of 601	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	502 of 607	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.7	464 of 602	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	486 of 585	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.5	305 of 481	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.0	325 of 488	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.3	331 of 463	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.1	184 of 265	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	149 of 253	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.2	216 of 261	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	187 of 249	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.5	147 of 226	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.9	174 of 199	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.3	162 of 195	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.2	152 of 185	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.1	371 of 372	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	16.3	337 of 352	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.2	277 of 349	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	7.2	529 of 551	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.1	518 of 542	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	517 of 553	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	480 of 537	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	484 of 534	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	341 of 439	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.2	393 of 444	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	394 of 427	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2022)53rd percentile+30 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile+19 vs school

Female (2026)14th percentile~ school

African American (2026)13th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)13th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)10th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)7th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)1st percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)<1st percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II50%-15 vs state

Biology34%-24 vs state

Math III29%-40 vs state

Math I21%-21 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate West Caldwell High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 7, 2014

If I could rate this school a negative, I would. You will find students using smokeless tobacco in school, spitting on the flooring, posters or carrying their spit bottles with them. Students who do want to learn have a difficult time as other students are disruptive in class, many times backing talking the teacher, wandering around in class and the teacher does nothing. These issues are not isolated either. Go to the school yourself, walking around during the day, you will see kids skipping class, go out for a smoke in the parking lot. You bring these things to the leadership .nothing. This is a typical school lets pass the student and move them own .not my problem then. Test scores have fallen every year for the last 10 years in this school. School moral is awful. No home coming dance. And get this, they have a hall monitor that checks your clothes. If you have a dime size whole in your jeans, off to ISS. You can use tobacco in school and skip classes and smoke in the parking lot, but don t have a small hole in your jeans. If this school does not get a grip on things it is going to continue to its downward spin. Close Quote

Schools Near West Caldwell High

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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)		EOG Reading (2026)		EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	14.8	584^th of 662 public high schools	11.8%		17.6	542^nd of 641 public high schools	15.4%	42	34.4	50.0	21.5	28.8						$11,229	$831	$10,398
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%)	41.2	395^th of 662 public high schools	40.3%		39	383^rd of 641 public high schools	40.2%	12	50.0	55.9	42.5	71.9						$10,067	$942	$9,125
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%)	80.6	137^th of 662 public high schools	79.3%		84.4	113^th of 641 public high schools	82.4%	24	80.0	90.0	70.7	82.0						$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	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%)	85.6	102^nd of 662 public high schools	84.6%		87.2	95^th of 641 public high schools	85.2%	7	94.9	96.3	60.3	89.4						$7,027	$517	$6,510
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%)	68.2	201^st of 662 public high schools	69.6%		59	235^th of 641 public high schools	63.3%	34	62.7	66.3	77.9	85.1						$9,112	$776	$8,336
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%)	40.5	398^th of 662 public high schools	39.9%		51	288^th of 641 public high schools	55.1%	110	49.0	62.0	30.0	74.5						$9,486	$729	$8,757
Hallyburton Academy	Public	6-12	205 South Main Street	Drexel	28619	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 437-4184	73	9	8.4	95.9%	45 (61.6%)	5 (6.8%)	12 (16.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	10 (13.7%)								(n/a)	18.8									$18,048	$1,530	$16,517
Freedom High	Public	9-12	511 Independence Boulevard	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 433-1310	1,299	57	22.7	99.8%	595 (45.8%)	93 (7.2%)	459 (35.3%)	54 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	98 (7.5%)	42	392^nd of 662 public high schools	40.8%		30.4	440^th of 641 public high schools	31.4%	48	54.9	56.4	49.6	61.3						$8,511	$796	$7,716
Burke Middle College	Public	11-12	1001 Burkemont Ave	Morganton	28655	Burke County	Burke County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 448-3175	130	3	43.3	97.7%	69 (53.1%)	2 (1.5%)	14 (10.8%)	40 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.8%)								(n/a)				87.5						$4,804	$268	$4,536
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)			11.1	541.5	9.1	< 5%	45.5	10.5	26.3	$28,313	$1,830	$26,484

Frequently Asked Questions about West Caldwell High

Is West Caldwell High a good school?

West Caldwell High ranks in the bottom 11.8% of North Carolina high schools.

What schools feed into West Caldwell High?

West Caldwell High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Collettsville School
Elementary : Gamewell Elementary
Middle : Gamewell Middle

What is the racial makeup of West Caldwell High?

Students at West Caldwell High are 57% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% African American, 9% Two or more races.

How many students attend West Caldwell High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 634 students attended West Caldwell High.

What district is West Caldwell High in?

Caldwell County Schools

Rate West Caldwell High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina High School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Lenoir, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for West Caldwell High!

Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.