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If you had an hour of school board time for South Caldwell High, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,272
High
DISTRICT 564 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CALDWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370058000239
South Caldwell High
7035 Spartan Drive, Hudson, NC 28638 · (828) 396-2188 · Caldwell County
GRADES 09–12HIGH22-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,272 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 54% of North Carolina public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats 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
19.1:1
67 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.3:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
1,261 students
DISTRICT 91% · 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 | 9 | 1% |
| Grade 9 | 304 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 318 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 326 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 315 | 25% |
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 45% · 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
62.7%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
36.1%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 36 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
46.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.6%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-2.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 47% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% 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 South Caldwell High
South Caldwell High's state test result (46.5% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Caldwell High this school | 1,272 | 99.1% | 46.5% |
| Alexander Central High Taylorsville | 1,254 | 99.8% | 46.5% |
| Tuscola High Waynesville | 873 | 99.7% | 59.2% |
| Pisgah High Canton | 859 | 99.7% | 69.3% |
| McDowell High School Marion | 1,379 | 98.8% | 35.2% |
| South Brunswick High Southport | 1,154 | 99.7% | 44.9% |
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 South Caldwell High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Caldwell County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.5% | #237 of 468 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.1% | #228 of 464 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.7% | #175 of 448 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,272 | #124 of 598 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.1:1 | #268 of 473 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.8% | #443 of 474 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.1% | #181 of 527 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.5% | #62 of 277 | 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
1,272
-93 (-7%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 1,174
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
was 15.3:1
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 | 1,272 | 66.7 | 19.1:1 | 99% (1,261) |
| 2023-24 | 1,299 | 85.1 | 15.3:1 | 99% (1,282) |
| 2022-23 | 1,317 | 85.4 | 15.4:1 | 50% (660) |
| 2020-21 | 1,365 | 89 | 15.3:1 | 35% (475) |
| 2017-18 | 1,542 | 105 | 14.7:1 | 43% (656) |
| 2015-16 | 1,624 | 107 | 15.2:1 | 42% (682) |
| 2010-11 | 1,574 | 105 | 15.0:1 | 41% (638) |
| 2000-01 | 1,363 | 91 | 15.0:1 | 11% (149) |
| 1990-91 | 1,174 | 85 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Caldwell High.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (1,542 to 1,272); teachers down 36% (105 to 66.7).
About South Caldwell High
As a high-enrollment high school, South Caldwell High serves students in Hudson, North Carolina. The student body numbers 1,272 students, from grades 9 through 12. Average enrollment for high schools in North Carolina is about 761, so this school runs 67% larger than that.
Caldwell County Schools counts 25 schools and 10,667 students, including South Caldwell High.
White students are the large majority at South Caldwell High, with 81% of enrollment. The next largest groups are 12% Hispanic and 5% multiracial. The chance that two students picked at random at South Caldwell High belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 33%.
South Caldwell High operates with 66.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 19.1:1. High schools in North Carolina have a similar average ratio of 19.6:1. About 99% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits.
allk12 grades South Caldwell High a B-. The grade compares the school only with North Carolina public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
South Caldwell High is 2.1 points below its predicted average proficiency rate on state tests (46.5% versus 48.6%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in North Carolina.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Caldwell County show that median household income is about $56,425, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 11% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 26 public schools in Caldwell County, with a combined enrollment of about 10,920.
Granite Falls Elementary is the closest public school, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line. South Caldwell High is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Nearby schools with test data average 62.1% proficiency; South Caldwell High posts 46.5%.
Locale: Suburb: Mid-size. In NCES terms, the school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, South Caldwell High went from 1,365 students to 1,272. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 15.3:1 in 2020-21 to 19.1:1 in 2024-25.
Discussions about South Caldwell High may include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Caldwell County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
80,536
Census ACS
Median income
$56,425
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
10,920 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Caldwell County Schools
- Hibriten HighHigh · 818 students
- Hudson ElementaryElementary · 665 students
- Granite Falls ElementaryElementary · 647 students
- West Caldwell HighHigh · 634 students
- Hudson MiddleMiddle · 551 students
- Granite Falls MiddleMiddle · 518 students
Other schools in Hudson
- Hudson ElementaryElementary · 665 students
- Hudson MiddleMiddle · 551 students
- Caldwell Early CollegeHigh · 387 students
- Caldwell Applied Sciences AcademyHigh · 218 students
Nearby schools
- Granite Falls Elementary1.3 mi · 647
- Sawmills Elementary1.6 mi · 351
- Granite Falls Middle1.6 mi · 518
- Hudson Middle2.4 mi · 551
- Hudson Elementary2.6 mi · 665
- Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy3.0 mi · 218
Frequently asked questions
About South Caldwell HighHow large is South Caldwell High?
South Caldwell High enrolls approximately 1,272 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does South Caldwell High serve?
South Caldwell High serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Caldwell High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at South Caldwell High is approximately 19.1:1 (67 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at South Caldwell High?
At South Caldwell High, the student body is approximately 81% White, 12% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is South Caldwell High in?
South Caldwell High is part of Caldwell County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.