Top Rankings
Catawba County Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026 school year, there are 17 public elementary schools serving 8,336 students in Catawba County Schools. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 6/10, which is in the top 50% of public elementary schools in North Carolina.
Public Elementary Schools in Catawba County Schools have an average math proficiency score of 58% (versus the North Carolina public elementary school average of 50%), and reading proficiency score of 47% (versus the 49% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 43% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the North Carolina public elementary school average of 58% (majority Black and Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
28 Schools
2,149 Schools
# Students
16,003 Students
1,095,543 Students
# Teachers
903 Teachers
71,743 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
18:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Catawba County Schools, which is ranked within the top 50% of all 314 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 86% has decreased from 92% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#119 out of 325 school districts
(Top 50%)
(Top 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
(21-22)59%
51%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
51%
50%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
71%
63%
Graduation Rate
(21-22)86%
86%
Chronically Absent Students
(2022-23)21.7%
28.7%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.61
0.72
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
8%
5%
% Hispanic
20%
22%
% Black
6%
24%
% White
58%
42%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
8%
6%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $10,556 in this school district is less than the state median of $11,170. The school district revenue/student has grown by 5% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $10,490 is less than the state median of $11,594. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$169 MM
$17,307 MM
Spending
$168 MM
$17,964 MM
Revenue / Student
$10,556
$11,170
Spending / Student
$10,490
$11,594
Best Catawba County Schools Public Elementary Schools (2026)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Sherrills Ford Elementary School
(Math: 79% | Reading: 67%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
8103 Sherrills Ford Road
Sherrills Ford, NC 28673
(828) 478-2662
Sherrills Ford, NC 28673
(828) 478-2662
Gr: K-6 | 633 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 27%
Rank: #22.
Mountain View Elementary School
(Math: 72% | Reading: 62%)
Rank:
Rank:
9/
Top 20%10
5911 Dwayne Starnes Road
Hickory, NC 28602
(828) 294-2020
Hickory, NC 28602
(828) 294-2020
Gr: K-6 | 708 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 33%
Rank: #33.
Clyde Campbell Elementary School
(Math: 69% | Reading: 58%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
2121 35th Avenue Drive Ne
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2769
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2769
Gr: PK-6 | 505 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 39%
Rank: #44.
Snow Creek Elementary School
(Math: 67% | Reading: 58%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
3238 Snow Creek Rd
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2335
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2335
Gr: PK-6 | 551 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 41%
Rank: #55.
Balls Creek Elementary School
(Math: 71% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
2620 Balls Creek Road
Newton, NC 28658
(828) 464-4766
Newton, NC 28658
(828) 464-4766
Gr: PK-6 | 686 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 26%
Rank: #66.
Startown Elementary School
(Math: 57% | Reading: 50%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
4119 Startown Road
Newton, NC 28658
(828) 464-1257
Newton, NC 28658
(828) 464-1257
Gr: PK-6 | 540 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 46%
Rank: #77.
Blackburn Elementary School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
4377 W Nc 10 Hwy
Newton, NC 28658
(704) 462-1344
Newton, NC 28658
(704) 462-1344
Gr: K-6 | 484 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 43%
Rank: #88.
Charles H Tuttle Elementary School
(Math: 59% | Reading: 45%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
2872 Water Plant Road
Maiden, NC 28650
(828) 428-3080
Maiden, NC 28650
(828) 428-3080
Gr: K-6 | 368 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 29%
Rank: #99.
Maiden Elementary School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
245 Bob Smyre Ave
Maiden, NC 28650
(828) 428-8769
Maiden, NC 28650
(828) 428-8769
Gr: PK-6 | 562 students Student-teacher ratio: 18:1 Minority enrollment: 37%
Rank: #1010.
Claremont Elementary School
(Math: 53% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
3384 E Main Street
Claremont, NC 28610
(828) 459-7921
Claremont, NC 28610
(828) 459-7921
Gr: PK-6 | 462 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 51%
Rank: #1111.
Banoak Elementary School
(Math: 50-54% | Reading: 40-44%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
7651 W Nc 10 Hwy
Vale, NC 28168
(704) 462-2849
Vale, NC 28168
(704) 462-2849
Gr: K-6 | 291 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 21%
Rank: #1212.
Catawba Elementary School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 36%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
5415 Hudson Chapel Road
Catawba, NC 28609
(828) 241-3131
Catawba, NC 28609
(828) 241-3131
Gr: PK-6 | 450 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 38%
Rank: #1313.
Lyle Creek Elementary School
(Math: 50% | Reading: 35%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
1845 Edgewater Drive Nw
Conover, NC 28613
(828) 464-0299
Conover, NC 28613
(828) 464-0299
Gr: PK-6 | 458 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 64%
Rank: #1414.
Oxford Elementary School
(Math: 45% | Reading: 38%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
5915 Oxford School Road
Claremont, NC 28610
(828) 459-7220
Claremont, NC 28610
(828) 459-7220
Gr: PK-6 | 540 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 42%
Rank: #1515.
Webb A Murray Elementary School
(Math: 44% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
3901 Section House Road
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2196
Hickory, NC 28601
(828) 256-2196
Gr: PK-6 | 380 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 73%
Rank: #1616.
Saint Stephens Elementary School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 29%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
684 30th Street Ne
Conover, NC 28613
(828) 256-2570
Conover, NC 28613
(828) 256-2570
Gr: K-6 | 711 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 73%
Rank: #1717.
Catawba Rosenwald Education Center
Special Education School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤10% )
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
403 6th Ave Sw
Catawba, NC 28609
(828) 241-2734
Catawba, NC 28609
(828) 241-2734
Gr: K-12 | 7 students Student-teacher ratio: 1:1 Minority enrollment: 28%
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