Total enrollment
16,003
+428 (+3%) vs SY 2020-21
28 schools in Catawba County Schools
North Carolina · 16,003 students · 8 cities
Across the district, Catawba County Schools runs 28 public K-12 schools teaching roughly 16,003 North Carolina students (about 572 per school).
4-year change in Catawba County Schools
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
28
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Catawba County Schools ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In North Carolina | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.7% | #25 of 112 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 16,003 | #22 of 116 | #522 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 28 | #23 of 116 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #104 of 116 | #7,538 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 83.8% | #82 of 114 | #1,011 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.7% | #59 of 111 | #1,551 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Catawba County Schools
State test results across the district's 27 scored schools run from Challenger Early College High at 90.1% proficient to Bunker Hill High at 36.3%, a gap of 53.8 points. That is the 31st widest gap among 104 North Carolina districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 28 district schools that reported both years went from 16,375 to 16,003 students (down 2%) and from 993 to 904 full-time teachers (down 9%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Catawba County Schools
Catawba County Schools is an average-sized public-school district in North Carolina. The district runs 28 schools and educates approximately 16,003 students.
For a sense of the school types, Catawba County Schools spans 16 elementary, 5 middle, 6 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
Trend over the past 4 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 16,003 students, increased 3% from the 15,575 reported in SY 2020-21.
On this page, the community for Catawba County Schools discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.