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Welcome to the Hickory High community. What's one thing that would make Hickory High even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,024
High
DISTRICT 613 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HICKORY CITY SCHOOLS·NCES 370219000943
Hickory High
1234 3rd Street NE, Hickory, NC 28601 · (828) 322-5860 · Catawba County
GRADES 09–12HIGH13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,024 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 22% of North Carolina public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- CBeats 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
26.6:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.9:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
1,021 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 82%
Community
1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 31 | 3% |
| Grade 9 | 292 | 29% |
| Grade 10 | 242 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 221 | 22% |
| Grade 12 | 238 | 23% |
Student demographics
74%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 74% · 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
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
49.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
25.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-15.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 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 Hickory High
Hickory High's state test result (33.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory High this school | 1,024 | 99.7% | 33.3% |
| Durham School of the Arts Durham | 1,764 | 99.2% | 74.8% |
| Lincolnton High Lincolnton | 797 | 99.5% | 44.6% |
| Walter M Williams High Burlington | 1,206 | 99.8% | 34.9% |
| Montgomery Central High Troy | 846 | 99.3% | 31.4% |
| Saint Stephens High Hickory | 1,268 | 99.8% | 54.2% |
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 Hickory High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Catawba County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.3% | #373 of 468 | #10 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 25.9% | #321 of 464 | #8 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.4% | #297 of 448 | #6 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,024 | #180 of 598 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 26.6:1 | #437 of 473 | #8 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 74.1% | #12 of 474 | #1 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.7% | #58 of 527 | #2 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.9% | #222 of 277 | #7 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
1,024
+12 (+1%) vs 2020
-9% since 1990-91, when it was 1,130
Student : Teacher
26.6:1
was 16.6:1
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 | 1,024 | 38.4 | 26.6:1 | 100% (1,021) |
| 2023-24 | 1,034 | 57.5 | 18.0:1 | 100% (1,029) |
| 2022-23 | 1,014 | 59.6 | 17.0:1 | 62% (633) |
| 2020-21 | 1,012 | 61 | 16.6:1 | 45% (457) |
| 2017-18 | 1,066 | 63.6 | 16.8:1 | 45% (476) |
| 2015-16 | 1,036 | 63 | 16.4:1 | 48% (497) |
| 2010-11 | 1,040 | 77 | 13.5:1 | 48% (504) |
| 2000-01 | 1,118 | 79 | 14.2:1 | 23% (252) |
| 1990-91 | 1,130 | 84 | 13.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hickory High.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (1,066 to 1,024); teachers down 40% (63.6 to 38.4).
About Hickory High
Located in Hickory, North Carolina, Hickory High is a medium-sized high school. The grade span is 9 through 12, and enrollment is 1,024 students. An average school in this group (high schools in North Carolina) has about 761 students.
Besides Hickory High, Hickory City Schools runs 8 other schools. The district enrolls 3,735 students.
Hickory High's enrollment has no majority group, and White students are the largest at 35%. The remaining students are 29% Hispanic, 19% Black, 12% multiracial, and 5% Asian. Among people living in Catawba County, the White share is about 75%. By the diversity index, Hickory High comes in at 74%.
Hickory High's 38.4 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 26.6:1. For comparison, high schools in North Carolina average 19.6:1. Eligibility for subsidized school meals is 100%. That is higher than the 86% average for public schools in Catawba County.
Measured against North Carolina public high schools, Hickory High receives a C-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
On BeatsExpectations, Hickory High is 15.1 points below its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of North Carolina schools.
Census estimates describe Catawba County this way: median household income is about $67,864, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 9% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Catawba County number 44 and enroll about 22,392.
Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School is the closest public school, about 0.4 miles away in a straight line. Hickory High is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools with test data average 53.5% proficiency; Hickory High posts 33.3%.
The school's locale code, City: Small, means it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, enrollment moved from 1,012 to 1,024, a small change. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 16.6:1 to 26.6:1.
Conversations here can range across science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 Hickory City Schools
- Viewmont ElementaryElementary · 509 students
- Northview MiddleMiddle · 481 students
- Grandview MiddleMiddle · 347 students
- Oakwood ElementaryElementary · 336 students
- Southwest PrimaryElementary · 292 students
- W M Jenkins ElementaryElementary · 276 students
Other schools in Hickory
- Saint Stephens HighHigh · 1,268 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 708 students
- Harry M Arndt MiddleMiddle · 601 students
- Snow Creek ElementaryElementary · 551 students
- Viewmont ElementaryElementary · 509 students
- Clyde Campbell ElementaryElementary · 505 students
Other Hickory High schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Hickory High. Hickory High is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- Hickory HighChesapeake, VA · 1,600 students
- Hickory High SchoolHermitage, PA · 768 students
Nearby schools
- Hickory Career Arts Magnet High School0.4 mi · 201
- Viewmont Elementary0.5 mi · 509
- Oakwood Elementary1.1 mi · 336
- Northview Middle1.3 mi · 481
- W M Jenkins Elementary2.2 mi · 276
- Longview Elementary2.4 mi · 269
Frequently asked questions
About Hickory HighWhat is the total enrollment at Hickory High?
Hickory High enrolls approximately 1,024 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Hickory High serve?
Hickory High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hickory High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Hickory High is approximately 26.6:1 (38 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Hickory High?
At Hickory High, the student body is approximately 35% White, 29% Hispanic, 19% Black, 5% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is Hickory High public or private?
Hickory High is a public K-12 school, overseen by Hickory City Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.