Enrollment
376
High
DISTRICT 868 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370069002753
Challenger Early College High
2550 Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, NC 28602 · (828) 485-2980 · Catawba County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL376 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 96% of North Carolina public high schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public high schools
Student : Teacher
33.5:1
11 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.7:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
186 students
DISTRICT 86% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 97 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 99 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 90 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 90 | 24% |
Student demographics
72%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)Math
88.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 88 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The North Carolina average is about 52 of 100.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
90.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
63.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+26.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 90% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 64% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 26 points, placing it in North Carolina's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Challenger Early College High
Challenger Early College High's state test result (90.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenger Early College High this school | 376 | 49.5% | 90.1% |
| Wake STEM Early College High School Cary | 294 | 35.7% | 92.2% |
| Wake Early College of Health and Science Raleigh | 317 | 34.1% | 91.9% |
| Ballantyne Ridge High School Charlotte | 1,414 | 40.5% | 55.3% |
| Char Eng Early College-UNCC Charlotte | 313 | 35.5% | 81.8% |
| Cabarrus Early College of Technology Concord | 236 | 32.2% | 88.6% |
Matched among North Carolina high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Challenger Early College High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Catawba County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 90.1% | #9 of 468 | #1 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 88.2% | #21 of 464 | #1 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 376 | #381 of 598 | #8 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 33.5:1 | #457 of 473 | #9 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.5% | #24 of 474 | #2 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 49.5% | #386 of 527 | #6 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.5% | #147 of 277 | #2 of 7 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
376
0 (0%) vs 2020
+7% since 2010-11, when it was 353
Student : Teacher
33.5:1
was 26.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 376 | 11.2 | 33.5:1 | 49% (186) |
| 2023-24 | 362 | 15.3 | 23.7:1 | 47% (171) |
| 2022-23 | 352 | 14.1 | 25.0:1 | 41% (144) |
| 2020-21 | 376 | 14 | 26.9:1 | 27% (103) |
| 2017-18 | 411 | 14 | 29.4:1 | 40% (163) |
| 2015-16 | 366 | 14 | 26.1:1 | 41% (150) |
| 2010-11 | 353 | 14 | 25.2:1 | 47% (165) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Challenger Early College High.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (411 to 376); teachers down 20% (14 to 11.2).
About Challenger Early College High
Challenger Early College High is a high school in Hickory, North Carolina, reachable at (828) 485-2980. The school serves 376 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. The average among high schools in North Carolina is roughly 761 students; this school is 51% smaller than that.
Federal data list 28 schools in Catawba County Schools, with 16,003 students enrolled.
White students are the largest group at Challenger Early College High, with 35% of enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 32% Hispanic, 19% Asian, 11% multiracial, and 3% Black. Among all residents of Catawba County, the White share is about 75%. The chance that two students picked at random at Challenger Early College High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 72%.
Teachers at the school number 11.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 33.5:1. The 19.6:1 average for high schools in North Carolina is lower than this school's figure. Roughly 49% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Public schools in Catawba County average 86%.
Challenger Early College High is graded A+ by allk12, scoring above 96% of North Carolina public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Given its lunch-eligibility share, the predicted average proficiency rate on state tests for Challenger Early College High is 63.7%. It actually posts 90.1%, which is 26.4 points higher and in the top 10% of North Carolina schools.
Census Bureau estimates for Catawba County show that median household income is about $67,864, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. Challenger Early College High is one of 44 public schools in Catawba County, which together enroll about 22,392 students.
Grandview Middle is the closest public school, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. On state test proficiency, Challenger Early College High ranks 1st in a group of 8 nearby schools.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Small.
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 376 in 2020-21 and 376 in 2024-25. Federal data show the ratio rising from 26.9:1 to 33.5:1.
To ask about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Catawba County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
163,573
Census ACS
Median income
$67,864
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
44
22,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Catawba County Schools
- Saint Stephens HighHigh · 1,268 students
- Bandys HighHigh · 935 students
- Fred T Foard HighHigh · 930 students
- Maiden HighHigh · 852 students
- Bunker Hill HighHigh · 845 students
- Saint Stephens ElementaryElementary · 711 students
Other schools in Hickory
- Saint Stephens HighHigh · 1,268 students
- Hickory HighHigh · 1,024 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 708 students
- Harry M Arndt MiddleMiddle · 601 students
- Snow Creek ElementaryElementary · 551 students
- Viewmont ElementaryElementary · 509 students
Nearby schools
- Grandview Middle2.4 mi · 347
- Saint Stephens Elementary2.5 mi · 711
- North Newton Elementary3.4 mi · 388
- Webb A Murray Elementary3.5 mi · 380
- Conover Special Education3.7 mi · 107
- Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School3.9 mi · 201
Frequently asked questions
About Challenger Early College HighWhat is the total enrollment at Challenger Early College High?
Challenger Early College High enrolls approximately 376 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Challenger Early College High serve?
Challenger Early College High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Challenger Early College High have?
Challenger Early College High employs 11 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 33.5:1.
How diverse is Challenger Early College High?
Challenger Early College High reports a student body of 35% White, 32% Hispanic, 3% Black, 19% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Who oversees Challenger Early College High?
Challenger Early College High is overseen by Catawba County Schools in Catawba County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.