Top Rankings
Caldwell County Schools School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2025 school year, there are 20 public elementary schools serving 7,255 students in Caldwell County Schools School District. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public elementary schools in North Carolina.
Public Elementary Schools in Caldwell County Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of 46% (versus the North Carolina public elementary school average of 50%), and reading proficiency score of 47% (versus the 49% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 27% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the North Carolina public elementary school average of 57% (majority Black and Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
25 Schools
2,174 Schools
# Students
10,596 Students
1,091,007 Students
# Teachers
740 Teachers
73,903 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
14:1
14:1
District Rank
Caldwell County Schools School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 320 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 86% has decreased from 89% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#175 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(Bottom 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
47%
51%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
48%
50%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
61%
63%
Graduation Rate
86%
86%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.44
0.72
# American Indian Students
13 Students
12,383 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
1%
# Asian Students
96 Students
47,310 Students
% Asian Students
1%
4%
# Hispanic Students
1,518 Students
227,576 Students
% Hispanic Students
14%
21%
# Black Students
554 Students
268,051 Students
% Black Students
5%
25%
# White Students
7,783 Students
465,086 Students
% White Students
73%
43%
# Hawaiian Students
6 Students
1,488 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
695 Students
69,126 Students
% of Two or more races Students
7%
6%
Students by Grade:
# Students in PK Grade:
281
23,192
# Students in K Grade:
654
109,971
# Students in 1st Grade:
756
114,331
# Students in 2nd Grade:
776
118,121
# Students in 3rd Grade:
723
111,941
# Students in 4th Grade:
791
114,493
# Students in 5th Grade:
778
115,565
# Students in 6th Grade:
783
116,023
# Students in 7th Grade:
772
113,393
# Students in 8th Grade:
820
115,504
# Students in 9th Grade:
893
11,612
# Students in 10th Grade:
899
10,182
# Students in 11th Grade:
867
8,704
# Students in 12th Grade:
803
7,975
# Ungraded Students:
-
-
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $12,165 is higher than the state median of $11,187. The school district revenue/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $12,023 is higher than the state median of $11,612. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
Total Revenue
$129 MM
$17,307 MM
Spending
$127 MM
$17,964 MM
Revenue / Student
$12,165
$11,187
Spending / Student
$12,023
$11,612
Best Caldwell County Schools School District Public Elementary Schools (2025)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Granite Falls Elementary School
(Math: 70% | Reading: 61%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
60 N Highland Avenue
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2222
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2222
Grades: PK-5
| 593 students
Rank: #22.
Lower Creek Elementary School
(Math: 55-59% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
Rank:
7/
Top 50%10
630 Lower Creek Drive Ne
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-4022
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-4022
Grades: PK-5
| 383 students
Rank: #33.
Collettsville School
(Math: 58% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
Rank:
7/
Top 50%10
4690 Collettsville School Rd
Collettsville, NC 28611
(828) 754-6913
Collettsville, NC 28611
(828) 754-6913
Grades: PK-8
| 339 students
Rank: #44.
Granite Falls Middle School
(Math: 54% | Reading: 53%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
4 West Highland Ave
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2341
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2341
Grades: 6-8
| 525 students
Rank: #55.
Hudson Middle School
(Math: 49% | Reading: 55%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
291 Pine Mountain Road
Hudson, NC 28638
(828) 728-4281
Hudson, NC 28638
(828) 728-4281
Grades: 6-8
| 547 students
Rank: #66.
Baton Elementary School
(Math: 45-49% | Reading: 50-54%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
1400 Baton School Road
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 728-9531
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 728-9531
Grades: PK-5
| 347 students
Rank: #77.
Valmead Elementary School
(Math: <50% | Reading: <50%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
111 Elizabeth Drive Nw
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-9612
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-9612
Grades: PK-5
| 275 students
Rank: #88.
Hudson Elementary School
(Math: 52% | Reading: 44%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
200 Roy Coffey Drive
Hudson, NC 28638
(828) 728-3712
Hudson, NC 28638
(828) 728-3712
Grades: PK-5
| 633 students
Rank: #9 - 109. - 10.
Happy Valley Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 45-49%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
1350 Yadkin River Road
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-3496
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-3496
Grades: PK-8
| 223 students
Rank: #9 - 109. - 10.
Kings Creek Elementary School
(Math: 40-44% | Reading: 45-49%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
3680 Wilkesboro Boulevard
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6039
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6039
Grades: PK-8
| 148 students
Rank: #1111.
William Lenoir Middle School
(Math: 38% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
1366 Wildcat Trail
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3910
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3910
Grades: 6-8
| 514 students
Rank: #1212.
Gamewell Middle School
(Math: 40% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
3210 Gamewell School Road
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6204
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6204
Grades: 6-8
| 486 students
Rank: #1313.
Sawmills Elementary School
(Math: 35-39% | Reading: 35-39%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
4436 Sawmills School Road
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2610
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-2610
Grades: PK-5
| 336 students
Rank: #1414.
Dudley Shoals Elementary School
(Math: 34% | Reading: 41%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
1500 Dudley Shoals Road
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-3457
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-3457
Grades: PK-5
| 432 students
Rank: #1515.
Davenport A+ School
(Math: 33% | Reading: 40%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
901 College Avenue Sw
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6941
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 754-6941
Grades: PK-5
| 446 students
Rank: #1616.
Gamewell Elementary School
(Math: 36% | Reading: 34%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
2904 Morganton Boulevard
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 758-1193
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 758-1193
Grades: PK-5
| 519 students
Rank: #1717.
Whitnel Elementary School
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 30-34%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
1425 Berkley Street Sw
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 728-6423
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 728-6423
Grades: PK-5
| 267 students
Rank: #1818.
Horizons Elementary School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: ≤20% )
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
332 Greenhaven Dr. Nw
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3855
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3855
Grades: K-5
| 29 students
Rank: #1919.
Gateway School
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: 11-19%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
1889 Dudley Shoals Road
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-8373
Granite Falls, NC 28630
(828) 396-8373
Grades: 6-12
| 62 students
Rank: n/an/a
332 Greenhaven Dr Nw
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3855
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828) 726-3855
Grades: 4-12
| 151 students
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