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Welcome to the West Caldwell High community. What's one thing that would make West Caldwell High even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
634
High
DISTRICT 564 · STATE 761
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CALDWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370058000241
West Caldwell High
300 W Caldwell Drive, Lenoir, NC 28645 · (828) 758-5583 · Caldwell County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL634 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 15% of North Carolina public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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
17.8:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.3:1 · STATE 19.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
626 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 177 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 142 | 22% |
| Grade 11 | 160 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 155 | 24% |
Student demographics
60%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
38.1%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
28.7%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 38 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of NC schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
29.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-18.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
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 West Caldwell High
West Caldwell High's state test result (29.9% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Caldwell High this school | 634 | 98.7% | 29.9% |
| Dalton McMichael High Mayodan | 681 | 99.6% | 43.9% |
| Mount Airy High Mount Airy | 620 | 99.5% | 49.6% |
| South Lenoir High Deep Run | 721 | 99.6% | 39.3% |
| Wilkes Central High School Wilkesboro | 719 | 99.6% | 46.2% |
| South Rowan High China Grove | 932 | 99.7% | 28.6% |
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 West Caldwell High ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Caldwell County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.9% | #397 of 468 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.7% | #296 of 464 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 38.1% | #388 of 448 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 634 | #306 of 598 | #3 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.8:1 | #191 of 473 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.0% | #254 of 474 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #232 of 527 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -23.3% | #29 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
634
-72 (-10%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 949
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
was 13.8:1
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 | 634 | 35.7 | 17.8:1 | 99% (626) |
| 2023-24 | 687 | 47.4 | 14.5:1 | 99% (681) |
| 2022-23 | 753 | 47.4 | 15.9:1 | 68% (511) |
| 2020-21 | 706 | 51 | 13.8:1 | 48% (338) |
| 2017-18 | 827 | 64 | 12.9:1 | 62% (515) |
| 2015-16 | 883 | 67 | 13.2:1 | 65% (572) |
| 2010-11 | 890 | 68 | 13.1:1 | 62% (554) |
| 2000-01 | 875 | 66 | 13.3:1 | 29% (252) |
| 1990-91 | 949 | 72 | 13.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for West Caldwell High.
Since 2017-18: students down 23% (827 to 634); teachers down 44% (64 to 35.7).
About West Caldwell High
This page covers West Caldwell High, a small high school in Lenoir, North Carolina. It reported 634 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25.
West Caldwell High sits within Caldwell County Schools, which has 25 schools and 10,667 students.
At West Caldwell High, 57% of students are White. Other students are 23% Hispanic, 10% Black, and 9% multiracial. That is lower than the 86% White share among all Caldwell County residents. The diversity index for West Caldwell High is 60%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The student-to-teacher ratio at West Caldwell High is 17.8:1, based on 35.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, high schools in North Carolina average 19.6:1. Lunch program data show 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Among North Carolina public high schools, West Caldwell High outscored 15%, which works out to a C- on the allk12 Grade.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, West Caldwell High is in the bottom 10% of North Carolina schools: 29.9% actual against 48.7% predicted.
In Caldwell County, median household income comes to about $56,425, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. The county's public schools total 26, with about 10,920 students.
Of the public schools around it, West Caldwell High is closest to Gamewell Middle, about 1.1 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 7. Ranked by average proficiency, West Caldwell High places 7th out of 7 schools in its immediate area.
West Caldwell High falls in the Rural: Fringe locale category, used for schools in rural territory close to an urban area.
In 2020-21, West Caldwell High enrolled 706 students. By 2024-25, that number had fallen to 634. The student-to-teacher ratio increased from 13.8:1 in 2020-21 to 17.8:1 in 2024-25.
This page is set up for the West Caldwell High community to discuss special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
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
- South Caldwell HighHigh · 1,272 students
- Hibriten HighHigh · 818 students
- Hudson ElementaryElementary · 665 students
- Granite Falls ElementaryElementary · 647 students
- Hudson MiddleMiddle · 551 students
- Granite Falls MiddleMiddle · 518 students
Other schools in Lenoir
- Hibriten HighHigh · 818 students
- William Lenoir MiddleMiddle · 512 students
- Gamewell ElementaryElementary · 459 students
- Gamewell MiddleMiddle · 457 students
- Davenport A+ SchoolElementary · 429 students
- Lower Creek ElementaryElementary · 396 students
Nearby schools
- Gamewell Middle1.1 mi · 457
- Gamewell Elementary1.3 mi · 459
- Davenport A+ School3.4 mi · 429
- Whitnel Elementary3.9 mi · 330
- Horizons Elementary4.2 mi · 29
- Caldwell Online Academy4.2 mi · 138
Frequently asked questions
About West Caldwell HighHow many students attend West Caldwell High?
West Caldwell High enrolls approximately 634 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does West Caldwell High serve?
West Caldwell High serves grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at West Caldwell High?
Approximately 17.8:1 students per teacher at West Caldwell High.
How diverse is West Caldwell High?
West Caldwell High reports a student body of 57% White, 23% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
What district is West Caldwell High in?
West Caldwell High is part of Caldwell County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.