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What's the most underrated thing about Saint Stephens Elementary that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
711
Elementary
DISTRICT 521 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370069000289
Saint Stephens Elementary
684 30th Street NE, Conover, NC 28613 · (828) 256-2570 · Catawba County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL711 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 10% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
47 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
708 students
DISTRICT 86% · STATE 82%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 91 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 116 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 108 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 97 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 98 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 101 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 100 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (91) is 9% smaller than its 6th grade class (100).
Student demographics
74%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
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
34.4%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
40.9%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 34 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 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
37.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-10.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% 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 Saint Stephens Elementary
Saint Stephens Elementary's state test result (37.7% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Stephens Elementary this school | 711 | 99.6% | 37.7% |
| Forest View Elementary Durham | 662 | 99.5% | 49.4% |
| Creekside Elementary Durham | 554 | 99.5% | 40.2% |
| Pineville Elementary Pineville | 742 | 99.6% | 61.8% |
| West Clayton Elementary Clayton | 742 | 98.5% | 55.9% |
| Mint Hill Elementary School Matthews | 864 | 99.7% | 51.2% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary 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 Saint Stephens Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Catawba County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.7% | #1,148 of 1,297 | #23 of 23 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 40.9% | #1,121 of 1,296 | #22 of 23 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 34.4% | #1,100 of 1,300 | #22 of 23 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 711 | #167 of 1,485 | #1 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.0:1 | #752 of 1,377 | #7 of 24 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 74.2% | #30 of 1,379 | #3 of 24 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.6% | #61 of 1,414 | #1 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.2% | #265 of 369 | #5 of 6 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
711
+19 (+3%) vs 2020
+16% since 1990-91, when it was 615
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 14.7:1
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 | 711 | 47.3 | 15.0:1 | 100% (708) |
| 2023-24 | 730 | 51.4 | 14.2:1 | 100% (727) |
| 2022-23 | 698 | 50.9 | 13.7:1 | 78% (542) |
| 2020-21 | 692 | 47 | 14.7:1 | 100% (689) |
| 2017-18 | 676 | 44.9 | 15.1:1 | 99% (670) |
| 2015-16 | 724 | 49 | 14.8:1 | 84% (607) |
| 2010-11 | 709 | 51 | 13.9:1 | 81% (571) |
| 2000-01 | 769 | 46 | 16.7:1 | 26% (203) |
| 1990-91 | 615 | 43 | 14.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Saint Stephens Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (676 to 711); teachers up 5% (44.9 to 47.3).
About Saint Stephens Elementary
Saint Stephens Elementary is a large elementary school in North Carolina, located in Conover. The school teaches kindergarten through 6 and enrolls 711 students. The school is 52% bigger than the average for elementary schools in North Carolina.
Saint Stephens Elementary is one of 28 schools in Catawba County Schools, which enrolls 16,003 students in total.
Hispanic students make up 36% of enrollment at Saint Stephens Elementary, the largest share of any group. The rest of enrollment is 27% White, 21% Black, 10% multiracial, and 7% Asian. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Catawba County's population at about 12%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 74, compared with 70 nationally.
Saint Stephens Elementary reports a ratio of 15.0 students per teacher, from 47.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is close to this figure. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Saint Stephens Elementary, 100% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The rate at public schools in Catawba County averages 86%, lower than here.
Saint Stephens Elementary earns a D on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 10% of North Carolina public elementary schools.
After adjusting for student poverty, Saint Stephens Elementary lands between the top and bottom 10% of North Carolina schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 37.7%; the prediction is 48.4%.
In Catawba County, where the school is located, median household income comes to about $67,864, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. The county has 44 public schools and about 22,392 students.
Saint Stephens Elementary's nearest public school is Webb A Murray Elementary (about 1.3 miles). The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. On average proficiency, Saint Stephens Elementary is 9th of 9 nearby schools with test data.
For locale, NCES codes Saint Stephens Elementary as City: Small.
The school grew from 692 students in 2020-21 to 711 in 2024-25.
The Saint Stephens Elementary discussion page is a place for homework, tutoring, and testing dates. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 708 students
Other schools in Conover
- Newton-Conover MiddleMiddle · 559 students
- Lyle Creek ElementaryElementary · 458 students
- Shuford ElementaryElementary · 402 students
- Conover Special EducationCombined · 107 students
Nearby schools
- Webb A Murray Elementary1.3 mi · 380
- Challenger Early College High2.5 mi · 376
- Newton-Conover Middle2.7 mi · 559
- Saint Stephens High2.7 mi · 1,268
- Harry M Arndt Middle3.0 mi · 601
- Clyde Campbell Elementary3.2 mi · 505
Frequently asked questions
About Saint Stephens ElementaryHow many students attend Saint Stephens Elementary?
Saint Stephens Elementary enrolls approximately 711 students in grades KG-06.
Is Saint Stephens Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Saint Stephens Elementary is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens Elementary is approximately 15.0:1 (47 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Saint Stephens Elementary?
At Saint Stephens Elementary, the student body is approximately 27% White, 36% Hispanic, 21% Black, 7% Asian, 10% Two or more.
What district is Saint Stephens Elementary in?
Saint Stephens Elementary is part of Catawba County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.