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

Saint Stephens Elementary

Q: Is Saint Stephens Elementary a good school?

Saint Stephens Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.9% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Saint Stephens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 711 students attended Saint Stephens Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Saint Stephens Elementary?

Students at Saint Stephens Elementary are 36% Hispanic, 27% White, 21% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Saint Stephens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Saint Stephens Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Harry M Arndt Middle High : Saint Stephens High

Public Grades K-6

1313^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Saint Stephens Elementary is a public elementary school in Conover, North Carolina, serving 730 students in grades K-6 as part of the Catawba County Schools district.

Despite being part of a district ranked 82 out of 242 in North Carolina, Saint Stephens Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of the state's elementary schools over the past five years, with significantly lower academic performance than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's mathematics proficiency rates ranged from 28.2% to 49.5%, compared to the district average of 61.6%-65.9% and the state average of 57.2%-64.1%. Similarly, the school's reading proficiency rates were 24.2% to 45%, while the district and state averages were 44.7%-52.7% and 46.7%-58.1%, respectively.

The school's challenges may be partly attributed to its high percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with 99.59% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. In comparison, nearby schools like Lyle Creek Elementary and Clyde Campbell Elementary in the Catawba County Schools district, as well as schools in the Hickory City Schools district, tend to perform better on state assessments and have higher rankings, which may be linked to their lower percentages of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

711

Students ?

15.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,685

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

684 30th Street NE
Conover, NC 28613

(828) 256-2570

District: Catawba County Schools

Students who attend Saint Stephens Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Harry M Arndt Middle
High:	Saint Stephens High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

35.7%

White:

27.3%

African American:

20.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Saint Stephens Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (38% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg57%

1,313^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Catawba County Schools

82^nd of 242Catawba 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	18.1	1313 of 1490	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	1281 of 1505	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	1331 of 1502	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	1255 of 1514	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.4	870 of 1489	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	927 of 1473	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.4	966 of 1434	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.8	1173 of 1429	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.0	1284 of 1425	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	23.6	1171 of 1440	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.7	1145 of 1390	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	26.0	1097 of 1403	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.5	1133 of 1388	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.5	1079 of 1381	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.3	972 of 1363	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	55.5	691 of 1354	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	62.4	506 of 1324	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.0	563 of 1293	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.6	488 of 1276	61.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	860 of 918	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.4	805 of 924	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.4	769 of 933	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.7	594 of 927	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.0	234 of 896	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	34.7	674 of 949	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.4	518 of 927	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	32.0	84 of 106	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.2	75 of 99	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	13.0	632 of 634	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.5	490 of 646	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	582 of 878	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	399 of 897	55.5%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.0	378 of 563	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	385 of 533	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	357 of 514	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	18.0	464 of 485	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	49.8	132 of 385	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.6	182 of 497	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	139 of 421	67.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	1279 of 1451	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	1271 of 1455	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.8	1366 of 1459	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	1303 of 1458	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.2	766 of 1440	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.7	834 of 1424	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.0	876 of 1405	37.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.3	865 of 961	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	839 of 951	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.1	711 of 915	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.4	606 of 893	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.4	265 of 843	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.9	489 of 865	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.6	564 of 851	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	1361 of 1437	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	1277 of 1450	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	1223 of 1437	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.7	1059 of 1366	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.5	662 of 1329	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.3	810 of 1361	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.5	739 of 1332	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	1252 of 1450	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.7	1205 of 1464	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	1222 of 1461	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.9	1135 of 1464	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.5	883 of 1444	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.3	1001 of 1430	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.9	1007 of 1413	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	152 of 175	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	147 of 154	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	588 of 821	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.6	756 of 801	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	859 of 1172	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	931 of 1166	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	1127 of 1183	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.5	1142 of 1194	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.5	972 of 1172	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.8	714 of 1183	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.2	827 of 1178	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)33rd percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile+17 vs school

White (2025)27th percentile+15 vs school

Asian (2019)21st percentile-16 vs school

Male (2025)14th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)13th percentile~ school

Female (2025)12th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)10th percentile~ school

African American (2025)6th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2022)<1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics41%-19 vs state

Science39%-23 vs state

Reading34%-18 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Saint Stephens Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Saint Stephens Elementary

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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Saint Stephens Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
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
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
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
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
Viewmont Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	21 16th Avenue NW	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 324-7049	509	30	16.9	99.4%	144 (28.3%)	129 (25.3%)	165 (32.4%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.0%)	17.1	1326^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.0%		19.4	1295^th of 1505 public elementary schools	14.0%	31	44.2	28.9	50.0		26.7	33.7	37.2		46.5	$9,264	$1,086	$8,178
Oakwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	366 4th Street NW	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 322-1340	336	20	16.9	99.1%	188 (56.0%)	59 (17.6%)	52 (15.5%)	10 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.0%)	81.1	233^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	84.4%		80.5	236^th of 1505 public elementary schools	84.3%	3	68.3	74.5	71.7		60.0	74.5	71.7		81.1	$8,723	$1,106	$7,618
Shuford Elementary	Public	K-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%)	65.9	468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.6%		65.9	476^th of 1505 public elementary schools	68.4%	8	86.6	64.1	61.5		50.7	60.9	47.7		73.8	$8,223	$1,056	$7,167
North Newton Elementary	Public	K-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%)	73.2	342^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	77.0%		62.5	534^th of 1505 public elementary schools	64.5%	192	87.7	74.3	68.1		53.8	64.3	59.4		63.8	$9,113	$1,522	$7,591
W M Jenkins Elementary	Public	K-5	3750 N Center Street	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Hickory City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 327-3491	276	18	15.4	98.9%	116 (42.0%)	35 (12.7%)	59 (21.4%)	18 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (17.4%)	63.4	505^th of 1490 public elementary schools	66.1%		68.5	436^th of 1505 public elementary schools	71.0%	69	72.5	52.8	72.3		43.1	47.2	63.8		80.9	$9,330	$894	$8,436
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Saint Stephens Elementary

What schools do graduates of Saint Stephens Elementary attend?

Students who attend Saint Stephens Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Harry M Arndt Middle
High : Saint Stephens High

What district is Saint Stephens Elementary in?

Catawba County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Saint Stephens Elementary?

Students at Saint Stephens Elementary are 36% Hispanic, 27% White, 21% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

How many students attend Saint Stephens Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 711 students attended Saint Stephens Elementary.

Is Saint Stephens Elementary a good school?

Saint Stephens Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.9% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Saint Stephens Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Conover, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Saint Stephens Elementary!

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.