Hickory Sun

The only school district in Caldwell County suffered declining enrollment in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

There were 10,414 students in the halls of Caldwell County Schools, 0.9% lower than the year before.

The enrollment numbers in Caldwell County fell short of the state's trend, which shows an overall increase in enrollment across the state.

Caldwell County Schools has a main office in Lenoir and is the only school district within Caldwell County.

Despite boasting a favorable teacher-student ratio of 1:15, surpassing the national average, North Carolina's public schools face a significant funding gap. The state's per-student expenditure of $10,519 falls considerably short of the national average of $14,295.

North Carolina's public schools faced a staggering 58.4% surge in vacant teaching positions in the 2021-22 school year, leaving over 5,000 classrooms without qualified instructors.

School	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2021-22	Total % Change
South Caldwell High School	1,279	1,297	-1.4%
Hibriten High School	803	803	0%
West Caldwell High School	714	674	5.9%
Hudson Elementary School	632	626	1%
Hudson Middle School	579	621	-6.8%
Granite Falls Elementary School	558	546	2.2%
Granite Falls Middle School	527	551	-4.4%
Gamewell Middle School	504	498	1.2%
William Lenoir Middle School	503	530	-5.1%
Gamewell Elementary School	481	480	0.2%
Davenport A+ School	448	476	-5.9%
Caldwell Early College	391	404	-3.2%
Lower Creek Elementary School	389	393	-1%
Baton Elementary School	340	341	-0.3%
Sawmills Elementary School	315	303	4%
Collettsville School	315	338	-6.8%
Valmead Elementary School	276	143	93%
Whitnel Elementary School	269	256	5.1%
Happy Valley Elementary School	213	215	-0.9%
Kings Creek Elementary School	149	169	-11.8%
Gateway School	68	60	13.3%
Horizons Elementary School	27	34	-20.6%