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Caldwell Early College

Q: Is Caldwell Early College a good school?

Caldwell Early College ranks 102 nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

102^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 85% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Caldwell Early College is a small public high school in Hudson, NC, a town in the foothills of western North Carolina, serving 387 students in grades 9–12 through Caldwell County Schools. Despite its district placing in the bottom half of North Carolina districts, the school itself is one of the strongest in the state, earning 4 stars and ranking 102nd of 662 high schools (85th percentile) for 2025–2026, with 4 stars every year since 2020–2021. Its closest comparable is the choice-based Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy, located essentially next door at the 79th percentile; by contrast, South Caldwell High and Hibriten High rank near the 40th percentile and West Caldwell High at the 12th.

Academically, Caldwell Early College’s end-of-course results tower over district and state averages. In 2025–2026, Biology proficiency reached about 95% and English II about 96%, versus state averages near 59% and 65%, while Math III hit 89.4%. Students here are typically 40 to 50 points more proficient than their peers at surrounding traditional high schools. The one clear weak spot is Math I: proficiency fell from 92% in 2023–2024 to 60.3% in 2025–2026, and the nearby Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy has recently posted stronger Math I results.

The school also benefits from an exceptional attendance culture. Chronic absenteeism was just 9.4% in 2023–2024 compared with roughly 25% for the district and state; nearby West Caldwell High and South Caldwell High reported rates around 32–36%. It is also highly efficient: per-pupil spending of $7,027 is lower than every comparable local high school, and with a 24.9-to-1 student-teacher ratio, classes are large—yet performance remains elite. Subgroup rankings are strong statewide, particularly for Hispanic, male, and low-income students. For parents, Caldwell Early College is an outlier in the best sense: a consistently excellent academic option in a district where most neighboring high schools struggle.

387

Students ?

24.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

39%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2859 Hickory Blvd SW
Hudson, NC 28638

(828) 759-4636

District: Caldwell County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.6%

Hispanic:

17.6%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Caldwell Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2021 → 85th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (87% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 15% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 25 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school87%

District avg55%

North Carolina avg60%

102^nd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 15%▲ up 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	85.6	102 of 662	84.6%	★★★★☆
2025	87.2	95 of 641	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.7	126 of 640	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	83.6	110 of 626	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	86.9	95 of 621	84.7%	★★★★☆
2021	85.5	97 of 594	83.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.4	125 of 629	80.1%	★★★★☆
2025	87.8	80 of 610	86.9%	★★★★☆
2024	79.1	134 of 602	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	82.7	102 of 588	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.1	98 of 594	83.5%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	119 of 407	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	55.7	231 of 412	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.2	211 of 403	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.3	206 of 403	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	77.5	58 of 398	85.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.2	31 of 474	93.5%	★★★★★
2025	92.1	47 of 462	89.8%	★★★★★
2024	90.1	58 of 454	87.2%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	53 of 449	88.2%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	53 of 436	87.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.9	87 of 620	86.0%	★★★★☆
2025	93.3	64 of 606	89.4%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	99 of 613	83.8%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	109 of 597	81.7%	★★★★☆
2022	93.3	53 of 544	90.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	93.2	41 of 624	93.4%	★★★★★
2025	84.9	110 of 601	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	82.3	124 of 607	79.6%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	123 of 602	79.6%	★★★★☆
2022	92.1	65 of 585	88.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.8	115 of 551	79.1%	★★★★☆
2025	82.1	98 of 542	81.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.2	146 of 553	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	78.6	117 of 537	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	108 of 534	79.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)93rd percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)93rd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)86th percentile~ school

Female (2026)80th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)79th percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)71st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II96%+32 vs state

Biology95%+36 vs state

Math III89%+20 vs state

Math I60%+18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Caldwell Early College

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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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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		9.1	45.5	10.5	26.3	$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%)	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
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%)	44.1	377^th of 662 public high schools	43.1%		56.3	254^th of 641 public high schools	60.4%	123	52.1	62.7	49.0	62.5					$9,240	$806	$8,435
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
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%)	28.5	487^th of 662 public high schools	26.4%		26.1	486^th of 641 public high schools	24.2%	1	45.0	54.6	30.8	56.0					$8,704	$694	$8,010

Frequently Asked Questions about Caldwell Early College

Is Caldwell Early College a good school?

Caldwell Early College ranks 102^nd of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Caldwell Early College?

Students at Caldwell Early College are 74% White, 18% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Caldwell Early College in?

Caldwell County Schools

How many students attend Caldwell Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Caldwell Early College.

Rate Caldwell Early College!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 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.