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Saint Stephens High

Q: Is Saint Stephens High a good school?

Saint Stephens High ranks 330 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Saint Stephens High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,268 students attended Saint Stephens High.

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

Students at Saint Stephens High are 44% White, 35% Hispanic, 9% African American, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Saint Stephens High?

Saint Stephens High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Clyde Campbell Elementary Elementary : Saint Stephens Elementary Elementary : Snow Creek Elementary Elementary : Webb A Murray Elementary Middle : Harry M Arndt Middle

Public Grades 9-12

330^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 50% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Saint Stephens High is a large traditional public high school in Hickory, NC, serving about 1,268 students in grades 9–12 as part of Catawba County Schools. The school has earned a 3-star statewide rating for several years, placing it near the middle of North Carolina high schools — a solid, familiar option rather than an elite one.

The clearest concern for parents is chronic absenteeism. In 2024–2025, 41.5% of Saint Stephens students were chronically absent, meaning they missed a significant number of school days. That rate is more than double the district's 18.0% and well above the state's 24.2%. It is also far worse than nearby traditional high schools such as Bunker Hill (23.9%) and Hickory High (22.6%), and it has been a persistent challenge for five years. Despite this, the graduation rate has climbed steadily, reaching 88.6% in 2025–2026 — just shy of the state's 88.8% and ahead of some nearby schools. This suggests that students who stay engaged are getting to the finish line, but daily attendance is likely holding the school back from stronger academic results.

Academically, Saint Stephens shows a clear pattern. Biology is a genuine strength, with a 64.7% proficiency rate that beats the state (58.5%) and most nearby high schools, including South Caldwell (49.0%) and Alexander Central (52.9%). Math III is also near the state average. However, English II trails both the district and state, and Math I proficiency (42.2%) is far below the district average of 53.1%. Notably, the school outperforms many local traditional schools overall but falls well behind selective programs like Challenger Early College and Alexander Early College. The main opportunities for growth are improving freshman-year math, strengthening English II, and — most importantly — getting more students to show up every day.

1,268

Students ?

22.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,502

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

3205 34th Street Drive NE
Hickory, NC 28601-7702

(828) 256-9841

District: Catawba County Schools

Feeder schools for Saint Stephens High:

Elementary:	Clyde Campbell Elementary
	Saint Stephens Elementary
	Snow Creek Elementary
	Webb A Murray Elementary
Middle:	Harry M Arndt Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.2%

Hispanic:

34.9%

African American:

8.6%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Saint Stephens High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 50th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (50th percentile)

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Ranking has slipped — down 12 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg60%

330^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 50%▼ down 11 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to top 50% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Catawba County Schools

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	49.9	330 of 662	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.0	243 of 641	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.2	297 of 640	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.9	309 of 626	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.5	329 of 621	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.5	234 of 594	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.7	170 of 514	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.6	205 of 469	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	39.4	252 of 476	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2016	45.1	195 of 507	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	51.9	159 of 531	70.1%	★★★★☆
2014	57.1	126 of 451	72.1%	★★★★☆
2013	52.8	130 of 505	74.3%	★★★★☆
2012	58.2	166 of 502	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.1	134 of 506	73.5%	★★★★☆
2010	69.4	87 of 499	82.6%	★★★★☆
2009	66.8	101 of 490	79.4%	★★★★☆
2008	59.1	160 of 477	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	74.2	41 of 453	90.9%	★★★★★
2006	68.1	85 of 431	80.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	353 of 450	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	61.8	115 of 440	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	41.7	222 of 437	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.6	179 of 434	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.9	205 of 430	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.0	114 of 364	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.4	111 of 369	69.9%	★★★★☆
2018	46.5	149 of 359	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	87 of 103	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.8	80 of 106	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	73 of 101	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.3	70 of 98	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	64 of 91	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.9	57 of 89	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.8	44 of 77	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.0	237 of 330	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.4	156 of 334	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.9	241 of 364	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	84.2	31 of 349	91.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	135 of 289	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.8	68 of 273	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	62.4	47 of 262	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	39.2	110 of 226	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.9	95 of 156	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	54.7	30 of 124	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	53.0	55 of 173	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.0	119 of 147	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.4	315 of 629	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.2	278 of 610	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.2	320 of 602	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	316 of 588	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	321 of 594	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	205 of 475	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.4	205 of 475	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.3	241 of 449	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.5	135 of 407	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	148 of 403	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.7	177 of 403	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.1	245 of 398	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.1	149 of 337	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.0	142 of 325	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.9	193 of 474	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.3	153 of 462	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	194 of 454	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.6	287 of 449	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.3	309 of 436	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.5	207 of 370	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	170 of 354	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.9	206 of 340	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	302 of 620	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.1	211 of 606	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.1	248 of 613	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.5	305 of 597	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.8	284 of 544	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	147 of 432	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.4	183 of 446	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.9	156 of 424	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.5	331 of 624	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.3	204 of 601	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	261 of 607	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	290 of 602	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.2	315 of 585	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.5	115 of 481	76.1%	★★★★☆
2019	57.7	146 of 488	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	53.3	187 of 463	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.7	144 of 265	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	68.2	63 of 253	75.1%	★★★★☆
2024	54.9	109 of 261	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.9	130 of 249	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.5	68 of 226	69.9%	★★★★☆
2021	84.8	16 of 199	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	52.2	90 of 195	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.9	75 of 185	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	338 of 372	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	337 of 349	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.3	288 of 551	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.3	248 of 542	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	284 of 553	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	274 of 537	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	290 of 534	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	65.9	102 of 439	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.6	142 of 444	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.8	224 of 427	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2026)67th percentile+17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)59th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)53rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)51st percentile~ school

Female (2026)50th percentile~ school

White (2026)48th percentile~ school

Male (2026)47th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)46th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile-19 vs school

African American (2026)22nd percentile-29 vs school

Asian (2026)16th percentile-35 vs school

Special Education (2026)9th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III69%~ state avg

Biology65%+6 vs state

English II63%~ state avg

Math I42%~ state avg

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher on FaceBook
Monday, September 24, 2012

Saint Stephens High is currently ranked 8th in the state in NC. Our graduation rate is excellent as well as test scores. The most exemplary part of this is that we have the largest ESL and EC population in the area. We have at least a third of our teachers with advanced degrees and many with National Board Certification as well. Close Quote

Schools Near Saint Stephens High

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
Saint Stephens High	Public	9-12	3205 34th Street Drive NE	Hickory	28601	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 256-9841	1,268	57	22.0	—	560 (44.2%)	109 (8.6%)	442 (34.9%)	62 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (7.5%)	49.9	330^th of 662 public high schools	50.2%		58	243^rd of 641 public high schools	62.1%	87	64.7	62.9	42.2	68.9						$8,502	$740	$7,761
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	—	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
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	—	107 (53.2%)	22 (10.9%)	45 (22.4%)	6 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (10.4%)	53.3	300^th of 662 public high schools	54.7%		56.6	253^rd of 641 public high schools	60.5%	47	60.0	64.9	38.6	83.3						$15,342	$1,043	$14,299
Challenger Early College High	Public	9-12	2550 Hwy 70 SE	Hickory	28602	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 485-2980	376	11	33.5	49.5%	131 (34.8%)	10 (2.7%)	122 (32.4%)	72 (19.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (10.6%)	93.6	20^th of 662 public high schools	97.0%		95.5	16^th of 641 public high schools	97.5%	4	98.9	100.0	96.2	95.7						$6,093	$246	$5,847
Discovery High School	Public	9-12	301 West 18th St	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 466-5581	146	7	22.1	29.5%	85 (58.2%)	4 (2.7%)	28 (19.2%)	15 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (9.6%)	72	176^th of 662 public high schools	73.4%		83	121^st of 641 public high schools	81.1%	55	71.4	85.0	84.8	65.8						$7,999	$741	$7,259
Newton-Conover High	Public	9-12	338 W 15th Street	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 465-0920	724	44	16.5	60.5%	314 (43.4%)	71 (9.8%)	222 (30.7%)	46 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (9.8%)	32.4	461^st of 662 public high schools	30.4%		28.9	466^th of 641 public high schools	27.3%	5	44.0	48.8	48.9	58.6						$10,228	$626	$9,601
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
Bunker Hill High	Public	9-12	4675 Oxford School Road	Claremont	28610	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 241-3355	845	40	21.1	—	457 (54.1%)	69 (8.2%)	179 (21.2%)	86 (10.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.4%)	25.4	518^th of 662 public high schools	21.8%		30.3	441^st of 641 public high schools	31.2%	77	42.5	53.8	39.1	44.9						$8,880	$745	$8,136
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	—	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
Alexander Early College	Public	9-12	345 Industrial Blvd	Taylorsville	28681	Alexander County	Alexander County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 632-8221	172	6	28.6	—	122 (70.9%)	3 (1.7%)	34 (19.8%)	9 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	91.9	58^th of 662 public high schools	91.2%		87.2	96^th of 641 public high schools	85.0%	38	95.3	95.4	88.0	95.6						$6,455	$116	$6,339

Frequently Asked Questions about Saint Stephens High

What district is Saint Stephens High in?

Catawba County Schools

What schools feed into Saint Stephens High?

Saint Stephens High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Clyde Campbell Elementary
Elementary : Saint Stephens Elementary
Elementary : Snow Creek Elementary
Elementary : Webb A Murray Elementary
Middle : Harry M Arndt Middle

What is the racial makeup of Saint Stephens High?

Students at Saint Stephens High are 44% White, 35% Hispanic, 9% African American, 7% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

Is Saint Stephens High a good school?

Saint Stephens High ranks 330^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Saint Stephens High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,268 students attended Saint Stephens High.

Rate Saint Stephens High!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026

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.