Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy

Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy operates as a very small senior high in Hudson, North Carolina, run under Caldwell County Schools. Current enrollment sits at 218 students spanning grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 761 students per school, that is 71% leaner than typical.

Across the 25 schools in Caldwell County Schools (10,667 students total), Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy reports that 79% of the student body identifies as White. Other groups include 11% Hispanic, 6% multiracial.

On the resource side, On paper, Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy has 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.2:1. The state averages around 19.6:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 34% of students at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Caldwell County (around 95%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 68.5%; this one delivers 75.2%.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (Caldwell County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $56,425 per year, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy is one of 26 public schools in Caldwell County (combined enrollment of about 10,920 students).

Nearest neighbor: Caldwell Early College, around 0.2 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy at 2nd of 9; the average score across the group is 57.1%.

Geographically, the school is in a bedroom-community area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy has decreased 7%, going from 235 students in 2018 to 218 in 2025. The White share of enrollment edged down from 86% to 79% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 21.2:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.