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Challenger Early College High

Public Grades 9-12

20^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 97% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Challenger Early College High is a small public high school in Hickory, North Carolina, that serves 376 students in grades 9–12 and is part of Catawba County Schools. It is also one of the state's top-performing high schools, ranking #20 out of 662 schools in 2025-26 with a 5-star rating and placing in the top 21 statewide for six consecutive school years. That record stands out even more because about 49.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Within its own district alone, Challenger outranks Bandys High (#206), Fred T Foard High (#303), Saint Stephens High (#330), Maiden High (#342), and Bunker Hill High (#518) by hundreds of spots.

Academically, Challenger's results approach near-universal proficiency. In 2025-26, 100% of students scored proficient on English II, 98.9% on Biology, 96.2% on Math I, and 95.7% on Math III — compared with statewide averages of 64.6%, 58.5%, 42.1%, and 68.9%. The school earns elite subgroup ratings for many different student populations at once: Hispanic students rank #4 statewide, male students rank #6, low-income students rank #32, and White, female, and Asian students all receive 4- or 5-star ratings. Most schools that excel do so for only one or two groups, making Challenger's breadth remarkable.

Challenger's success is not explained by spending or class size. Its most recent reported spending was about $6,093 per student — the lowest among nearby high schools — while its student-teacher ratio of 33.5:1 is far higher than peers such as Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School (15.2:1), which spends roughly $15,342 per student yet posts far lower proficiency. Even Discovery High School, a strong small school in Newton Conover City Schools, trails Challenger in every subject while serving a smaller share of low-income students (29.5% versus 49.5%). The one measure to watch is the Gifted and Talented subgroup rating, which slid from #7 in 2023-24 to #95 in 2025-26, though it remains a solid 4-star result. All told, six straight years of near-flawless test scores make Challenger the clear academic anchor of the Hickory area.

376

Students ?

33.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

49.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2550 Hwy 70 SE
Hickory, NC 28602

(828) 485-2980

District: Catawba County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.8%

Hispanic:

32.4%

Asian:

19.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Challenger Early College High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2019 → 97th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (98% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 34 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school98%

District avg63%

North Carolina avg60%

20^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 3%▼ down 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High 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	93.6	20 of 662	97.0%	★★★★★
2025	95.5	16 of 641	97.5%	★★★★★
2024	95.6	21 of 640	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.4	3 of 626	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.3	3 of 621	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.8	9 of 594	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	96.5	6 of 514	98.8%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.7	12 of 103	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	85.2	13 of 106	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	87.9	5 of 101	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	89.3	4 of 98	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	90.8	1 of 91	98.9%	★★★★★
2021	90.0	3 of 83	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	86.5	8 of 89	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	85.2	5 of 77	93.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.3	32 of 629	94.9%	★★★★★
2025	94.5	19 of 610	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.4	23 of 602	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	9 of 588	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	97.0	3 of 594	99.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.0	3 of 475	99.4%	★★★★★
2019	95.2	9 of 475	98.1%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	5 of 449	98.9%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.6	95 of 407	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	80.0	47 of 412	88.6%	★★★★☆
2024	79.4	7 of 403	98.3%	★★★★★
2023	81.5	13 of 403	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	84.0	1 of 398	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	84.7	5 of 337	98.5%	★★★★★
2019	83.2	6 of 325	98.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	97.3	4 of 474	99.2%	★★★★★
2025	97.7	8 of 462	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	98.1	14 of 454	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.7	3 of 449	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	1 of 436	99.8%	★★★★★
2021	97.2	5 of 370	98.6%	★★★★★
2019	98.8	2 of 354	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	98.7	3 of 340	99.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.9	32 of 620	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	97.5	12 of 606	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	31 of 613	94.9%	★★★★★
2023	98.5	7 of 597	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	99.5	2 of 544	99.6%	★★★★★
2021	99.6	2 of 432	99.5%	★★★★★
2019	98.3	4 of 446	99.1%	★★★★★
2018	99.1	1 of 424	99.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	95.0	6 of 624	99.0%	★★★★★
2025	96.1	12 of 601	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	12 of 607	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	97.5	2 of 602	99.7%	★★★★★
2022	97.7	2 of 585	99.7%	★★★★★
2021	98.3	4 of 481	99.2%	★★★★★
2019	96.9	7 of 488	98.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	98.4	2 of 249	99.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.6	21 of 551	96.2%	★★★★★
2025	93.5	17 of 542	96.9%	★★★★★
2024	92.8	30 of 553	94.6%	★★★★★
2023	93.7	26 of 537	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	95.4	8 of 534	98.5%	★★★★★
2021	97.4	2 of 439	99.5%	★★★★★
2019	95.5	4 of 444	99.1%	★★★★★

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)

Multi-racial (2023)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)99th percentile~ school

Male (2026)99th percentile~ school

White (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)95th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)88th percentile-9 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)77th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

English II100%+35 vs state

Biology99%+40 vs state

Math I96%+54 vs state

Math III96%+27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Challenger Early College 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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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
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	98.5%	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
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
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
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
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	99.8%	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
Fred T Foard High	Public	9-12	3407 Plateau Road	Newton	28658	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 462-1496	930	43	21.8	46.9%	684 (73.5%)	30 (3.2%)	98 (10.5%)	48 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	67 (7.2%)	53.1	303^rd of 662 public high schools	54.2%		52.6	274^th of 641 public high schools	57.3%	29	63.5	62.7	63.7	61.1	$8,769	$744	$8,025
Maiden High	Public	9-12	600 West Main Street	Maiden	28650	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 428-8197	852	41	20.7	49.1%	528 (62.0%)	54 (6.3%)	150 (17.6%)	57 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (7.4%)	48.3	342^nd of 662 public high schools	48.3%		47.8	320^th of 641 public high schools	50.1%	22	54.3	63.7	49.2	69.9	$9,016	$684	$8,333
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	99.6%	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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Early College High

How many students attend Challenger Early College High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 376 students attended Challenger Early College High.

Is Challenger Early College High a good school?

Yes! Challenger Early College High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 20^th of 662 North Carolina high schools.

What district is Challenger Early College High in?

Catawba County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Early College High?

Students at Challenger Early College High are 35% White, 32% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 3% African American.

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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.