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What's the biggest difference between Saint Stephens High and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,268
High
DISTRICT 868 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370069000290
Saint Stephens High
3205 34th Street Drive NE, Hickory, NC 28601 · (828) 256-9841 · Catawba County
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,268 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 72% of North Carolina public high schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats 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
22.1:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.7:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
1,265 students
DISTRICT 86% · 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 | 35 | 3% |
| Grade 9 | 351 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 308 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 307 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 267 | 21% |
Student demographics
67%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
58.2%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
52.2%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 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
54.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.4%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 54% 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 High
Saint Stephens High's state test result (54.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Stephens High this school | 1,268 | 99.8% | 54.2% |
| Freedom High Morganton | 1,299 | 99.8% | 37.7% |
| South Johnston High Four Oaks | 1,355 | 99.8% | 43.7% |
| Erwin High Asheville | 1,013 | 99.7% | 27.3% |
| Hickory High Hickory | 1,024 | 99.7% | 33.3% |
| Roberson High Asheville | 1,479 | 99.7% | 52.6% |
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 Saint Stephens High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Catawba County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 54.2% | #164 of 468 | #5 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.2% | #128 of 464 | #4 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.2% | #206 of 448 | #5 of 9 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,268 | #127 of 598 | #1 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 22.1:1 | #368 of 473 | #6 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 66.8% | #143 of 474 | #4 of 9 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.8% | #38 of 527 | #1 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.4% | #151 of 164 | N/A |
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
1,268
+103 (+9%) vs 2020
+37% since 1990-91, when it was 926
Student : Teacher
22.1:1
was 17.9:1
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 | 1,268 | 57.4 | 22.1:1 | 100% (1,265) |
| 2023-24 | 1,298 | 67 | 19.4:1 | 57% (738) |
| 2022-23 | 1,265 | 68.4 | 18.5:1 | 53% (676) |
| 2020-21 | 1,165 | 65 | 17.9:1 | 35% (413) |
| 2017-18 | 1,251 | 70 | 17.9:1 | 44% (550) |
| 2015-16 | 1,280 | 70 | 18.3:1 | 47% (607) |
| 2010-11 | 1,239 | 72 | 17.2:1 | 41% (512) |
| 2000-01 | 1,177 | 72 | 16.4:1 | 15% (173) |
| 1990-91 | 926 | 69 | 13.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Saint Stephens High.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (1,251 to 1,268); teachers down 18% (70 to 57.4).
About Saint Stephens High
Saint Stephens High is a large high school based in Hickory, North Carolina. The school's enrollment of 1,268 students covers grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 67% higher than the average for high schools in North Carolina, which is about 761.
Federal data list 28 schools in Catawba County Schools, with 16,003 students enrolled.
Federal enrollment data show White students as the largest group at Saint Stephens High, at 44%. Beyond that, enrollment is 35% Hispanic, 9% Black, 7% multiracial, and 5% Asian. The White share of the county population is higher, at 75%. Pick two students at random and there is a 67% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its teaching staff equals 57.4 full-time positions, a ratio of 22.1:1. On average, high schools in North Carolina have 19.6:1, compared with 22.1:1 here. Around 100% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The 86% average for public schools in Catawba County is 14 points lower.
Measured against North Carolina public high schools, Saint Stephens High receives a B+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
In North Carolina, Saint Stephens High is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 54.2% actual against a predicted 48.4%.
Among Catawba County residents, the median household income is $67,864, about 26% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 9%. Besides Saint Stephens High, Catawba County has 43 other public schools.
Nearby, Harry M Arndt Middle is about 0.2 miles away. Within five miles of Saint Stephens High, there are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Saint Stephens High places 5th out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
Saint Stephens High is coded as Suburb: Mid-size in federal locale data.
The school enrolled 1,268 students in 2024-25, 103 more than the 1,165 it had in 2020-21. Federal data show the ratio rising from 17.9:1 to 22.1:1.
Parents and students can post about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater at Saint Stephens High. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
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
- Bandys HighHigh · 935 students
- Fred T Foard HighHigh · 930 students
- Maiden HighHigh · 852 students
- Bunker Hill HighHigh · 845 students
- Saint Stephens ElementaryElementary · 711 students
- Mountain View ElementaryElementary · 708 students
Other schools in Hickory
- 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
- Clyde Campbell ElementaryElementary · 505 students
Nearby schools
- Harry M Arndt Middle0.2 mi · 601
- Snow Creek Elementary0.6 mi · 551
- Clyde Campbell Elementary1.1 mi · 505
- Webb A Murray Elementary2.5 mi · 380
- Saint Stephens Elementary2.7 mi · 711
- W M Jenkins Elementary3.0 mi · 276
Frequently asked questions
About Saint Stephens HighWhat is the total enrollment at Saint Stephens High?
Saint Stephens High enrolls approximately 1,268 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Saint Stephens High serve?
Saint Stephens High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens High is approximately 22.1:1 (57 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Saint Stephens High?
Student demographics at Saint Stephens High are roughly 44% White, 35% Hispanic, 9% Black, 5% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Saint Stephens High in?
Saint Stephens High is part of Catawba County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.