Caldwell County Schools is a PK– 12 graded

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

serving

Caldwell County, North Carolina Caldwell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,652. Its county seat is Lenoir. Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–L ...

. Its 26 schools serve 12,811 students as of the 2010–2011 school year.

History

While some subscription and church schools existed in the area before Caldwell County was founded, the history of public education really begins in July, 1841, just a few months after the county was established. The first Superintendents of Common Schools were appointed that year. School building commenced and eventually the county had as many as eight high schools. In 1977, school consolidation plans reduced the number to three main high schools.

Student demographics

For the 2010–2011 school year, Caldwell County Schools had a total population of 12,811 students and 872.39 teachers on a ( FTE) basis. This produced a student-teacher ratio of 14.68:1. The same year, out of the student total, the gender ratio was 50% male to 50% female. The demographic group makeup was: White, 82%; Hispanic, 8%; Black, 6%; Asian/Pacific Islander, 1%; and American Indian, 0% (two or more races: 4%). For the same school year, 54.79% of the students received free and reduced-cost lunches.

Governance

The primary governing body of Caldwell County Schools follows a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government used for municipalities, counties, or other equivalent regions. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States along with the mayor–council govern ...

format with a seven-member

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

appointing a

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

to run the day-to-day operations of the system. The school system currently resides in the

North Carolina State Board of Education The North Carolina State Board of Education, established by Article 9 of the Constitution of North Carolina, supervises and administers the public school systems of North Carolina. The board sets policy and general procedures for public school syst ...

's Seventh District.

Board of Education

The seven members of the Board of Education generally meet on the second Monday of each month. The current members of the board are: * Darrell Pennell (Chair) * Duane Knight (Vice-Chair) * Teresa Branch * BJ Fore * Ann Edwards * Chris Becker * Joe Sims

Superintendent

The current superintendent of the Caldwell County Schools system is Dr. Donald W. Phipps. He was previously superintendent of

Beaufort County Schools (North Carolina) Beaufort County Schools is a PK– 12 graded school district serving Beaufort County, North Carolina. Its 14 schools serve 7,202 students as of the 2010–2011 school year. Student demographics For the 2010–2011 school year, Beaufort County Sc ...

Member schools

Caldwell County Schools has 26 schools ranging from

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

. Those 26 schools are separated into six

high schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, four

middle schools A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

, four combined elementary/middle schools, and twelve

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

High schools

Caldwell Career Center Middle College Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, Eas ...

(

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

) *

Caldwell Early College High School Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, East ...

(Hudson) * Gateway High School – alternative school, grades 6–12 ( Granite Falls) *

Hibriten High School Hibriten High School (HHS) is a comprehensive, four-year high school accredited by the NC Department of Public Instruction and the Southern Colleges and Schools. The school is located at the foot of Hibriten Mountain, the western end of the Brush ...

(

Lenoir Lenoir may refer to: Locations: * Lenoir, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir City, Tennessee In Universities: * Lenoir-Rhyne University * Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...

) *

South Caldwell High School South Caldwell High School (SCHS) is a public high school in Hudson, North Carolina. It is part of the Caldwell County Schools district. History The construction of South Caldwell High School was completed on August 25, 1977. SCHS is located on a ...

(Hudson) *

West Caldwell High School West Caldwell High School (WCHS) is a public high school in Lenoir, North Carolina Lenoir is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,263 at the 2020 census. Lenoir is located in t ...

(Lenoir)

Middle schools

* Gamewell Middle School (Lenoir) * Granite Falls Middle School (Granite Falls) * Hudson Middle School (Hudson) * William Lenoir Middle School (Lenoir)

Combined elementary and middle schools

* Collettsville School – grades K–8 ( Collettsville) * Happy Valley School – grades K–8 (Lenoir) * Kings Creek School – grades K–8 (Lenoir) * Oak Hill School – grades K–8 (Lenoir)

Elementary schools

* Baton Elementary School (Granite Falls) * Davenport A+ School – grades K–5 (Lenoir) * Dudley Shoals Elementary School (Granite Falls) * Gamewell Elementary School (Lenoir) * Granite Falls Elementary School (Granite Falls) * Horizons Elementary School – alternative school, grades K–5 (Lenoir) * Hudson Elementary School (Hudson) * Lower Creek Elementary School (Lenoir) * Sawmills Elementary School (Granite Falls) * Valmead Elementary School (Lenoir) * West Lenoir Elementary School (Lenoir) * Whitnel Elementary School (Lenoir)

Athletics

According to the

North Carolina High School Athletic Association The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is the governing organization of high school athletics in North Carolina, United States. The association maintains the official rule books and governs the officiating standards across ...

, for the 2012–2013 school year: * Hibriten is a 3A school in the Northwestern Conference. * South Caldwell is a 4A school in the Northwestern Conference. * West Caldwell is a 2A school in the Catawba Valley Conference. * Gateway High, the early college, and the middle college do not have athletic teams.

References

External links

* {{Caldwell County, North Carolina Education in Caldwell County, North Carolina School districts in North Carolina