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Catawba Elementary School

Q: Is Catawba Elementary School a good school?

Catawba Elementary School ranks 662 nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

662^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 56% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Catawba Elementary School, in the town of Catawba, NC, serves about 450 students in pre-K through 6th grade and is part of Catawba County Schools, a 3-star district. The school itself also holds a 3-star rating and sits in the 56th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools, placing it above nearby Lyle Creek Elementary and Oxford Elementary, though below higher-performing neighbors like Balls Creek Elementary and Sherrills Ford Elementary. The school serves a very high-poverty student body, with more than 99% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

The most reassuring trend for parents may be the school’s steady improvement. A decade ago, it was a 1-star school near the bottom quarter of the state; today, it has earned a 3-star rating for four straight years while still serving one of the most economically challenged student bodies in the area. Its work with students from low-income families is a clear strength: those students perform in the 80th percentile statewide, far better than the school’s overall ranking. Grade-level results support this picture. Sixth-grade math proficiency is 76.6%, well above the state’s 59.2%, and sixth-grade reading also tops both the district and state averages. Third-grade reading, after two very weak years, jumped to 59.3% proficiency, again above the district and state.

The challenges, too, are concentrated and solvable. Fourth-grade reading has been the school’s most persistent gap, with only 44.2% of students proficient in 2025-26 — more than 13 points below the state and about 21 points behind Balls Creek Elementary, a nearby school with a similarly high-poverty student body. Chronic absenteeism is another concern: at 20.7%, about 1 in 5 students misses enough school to be considered chronically absent — the highest rate among surrounding elementary schools and nearly double the rate at the strongest nearby schools. Improving attendance and strengthening 4th-grade reading would likely move this solid 3-star school to consistently high-performing status.

450

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5415 Hudson Chapel Road
Catawba, NC 28609-0448

(828) 241-3131

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend Catawba Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Mill Creek Middle
High:	Bandys High

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.0%

Hispanic:

16.7%

Two or more races:

8.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Catawba Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2016 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 34 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg60%

662^nd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 34 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

87^th of 246Catawba 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	54.4	662 of 1492	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.2	707 of 1490	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.5	590 of 1505	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	685 of 1502	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.6	850 of 1514	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	818 of 1489	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	885 of 1473	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.1	853 of 1434	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.5	1118 of 1429	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.5	1110 of 1425	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	43.6	848 of 1440	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.1	817 of 1390	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	34.5	956 of 1403	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.4	861 of 1388	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.0	839 of 1381	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.0	635 of 1363	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.5	771 of 1354	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.4	762 of 1324	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	89.7	50 of 903	94.5%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	47.3	267 of 646	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.8	416 of 878	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	221 of 897	75.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.6	581 of 1447	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.9	549 of 1451	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.5	525 of 1455	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.1	754 of 1459	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.9	926 of 1458	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	742 of 1440	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.4	934 of 1424	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	1000 of 1405	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.2	398 of 981	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.2	350 of 961	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	288 of 951	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.0	443 of 865	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.5	387 of 851	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.7	289 of 1434	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	57.9	526 of 1437	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.5	334 of 1450	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	61.9	462 of 1437	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	626 of 1366	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.0	545 of 1329	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.3	693 of 1361	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.5	560 of 1332	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.2	728 of 1451	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.8	847 of 1450	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.9	673 of 1464	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.9	589 of 1461	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	709 of 1464	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.2	837 of 1444	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.4	804 of 1430	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.3	645 of 1413	54.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	33.9	833 of 1146	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.0	813 of 1172	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.5	668 of 1166	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	774 of 1183	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	886 of 1194	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.2	917 of 1172	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	969 of 1183	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	871 of 1178	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)94th percentile+39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)80th percentile+24 vs school

Female (2026)60th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2021)59th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2026)50th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)27th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science67%~ state avg

Mathematics66%+4 vs state

Reading53%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Catawba Elementary School

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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)				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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	54.4	662^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	55.6%		52.2	707^th of 1490 public elementary schools	52.6%	45	59.3	64.9	63.3	76.6	59.3	44.2	50.0	62.5	66.7	$9,663	$1,298	$8,365
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%)	48.7	752^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	49.6%		48	780^th of 1490 public elementary schools	47.7%	28	78.8	49.2	60.0	72.2	57.6	44.3	46.7	37.0	72.0	$10,074	$1,575	$8,498
Sharon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	880 Sharon Sch Rd	Statesville	28677	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 872-3401	251	19	13.5	98.8%	185 (73.7%)	12 (4.8%)	22 (8.8%)	13 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.6%)	65.7	495^th of 1492 public elementary schools	66.8%		66.7	453^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	69.6%	42	75.8	55.0	75.0		57.6	60.0	62.5		81.3	$11,007	$1,103	$9,904
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%)	69.3	429^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.2%		68.4	418^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.9%	11	69.9	70.6	75.5	88.1	55.3	65.7	57.8	51.5	79.4	$9,471	$1,315	$8,156
Oxford Elementary	Public	K-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%)	34	1028^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.1%		25.1	1184^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.5%	156	73.2	50.0	41.9	47.9	48.5	40.7	39.2	33.8	71.6	$9,354	$1,609	$7,745
Celeste Henkel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1503 Old Mountain Road	Statesville	28677	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 873-7333	558	42	13.4	98.9%	342 (61.3%)	69 (12.4%)	93 (16.7%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.9%)	40.8	893^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	40.1%		55.5	643^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	56.8%	250	41.8	59.7	61.3		50.6	59.7	48.8		60.0	$10,624	$1,544	$9,080
Shuford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	810 Hunsucker Drive	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-1973	402	27	15.1	96.3%	161 (40.0%)	26 (6.5%)	120 (29.9%)	47 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (11.9%)	75.5	313^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.0%		65.9	468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.6%	155	74.3	79.2	85.5		55.7	63.9	59.4		87.0	$8,223	$1,056	$7,167
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%)	66.9	471^st of 1492 public elementary schools	68.4%		75.4	312^th of 1490 public elementary schools	79.1%	159	78.9	75.0	65.3	73.2	55.8	59.8	54.7	66.0	67.4	$8,556	$592	$7,964
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	782^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	47.6%		47.2	795^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.6%	13	74.6	45.2	49.1	58.6	59.3	50.0	52.7	50.0	70.9	$10,199	$1,523	$8,677
North Newton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	221 West 26th St	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-2631	388	27	14.1	99.2%	116 (29.9%)	45 (11.6%)	144 (37.1%)	39 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (11.3%)	75.8	305^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.6%		73.2	342^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	77.0%	37	81.5	73.9	80.9		70.8	60.9	55.9		77.9	$9,113	$1,522	$7,591

Frequently Asked Questions about Catawba Elementary School

How many students attend Catawba Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 450 students attended Catawba Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Catawba Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Catawba Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mill Creek Middle
High : Bandys High

Is Catawba Elementary School a good school?

Catawba Elementary School ranks 662^nd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Catawba Elementary School in?

Catawba County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Catawba Elementary School?

Students at Catawba Elementary School are 62% White, 17% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 7% African American, 5% Asian.

Rate Catawba Elementary School!

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Schools in Catawba, NC

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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.