Enrollment
1,268
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hickory, NC
Saint Stephens High
Federal NCES profile for Saint Stephens High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370069000290
👥 S:T ratio 26
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Saint Stephens High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools.
- #4 of 4
- high schools in Hickory · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.6:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 48.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Saint Stephens High has class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Saint Stephens High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Hickory, NC.
School address
District: Catawba County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370069000290 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
48.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Saint Stephens High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Saint Stephens High
Saint Stephens High is a large high school in Hickory, North Carolina, enrolling 1,268 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.6:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 48.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,268 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Among 210 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need North Carolina schools statewide, it ranks #156, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 317 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 16 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Hickory's high schools, it stands alongside Hickory High (1,024 students): Saint Stephens High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.6:1 vs 17.4:1).
Catawba County Schools also operates Bandys High (935 students) and Fred T Foard High (930 students) alongside Saint Stephens High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Saint Stephens High compares
Saint Stephens High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.6:1 | ▲ 18% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.5% | ▼ 27% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,268 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,268
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 84% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,517
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 317 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
64
in-school suspensions + 118 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 16 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 44.2%
Hispanic or Latino 34.9%
African American 8.6%
Two or More 7.5%
Asian 4.9%
Largest group: White at 44.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.7, Saint Stephens High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Catawba County Schools, which includes Saint Stephens High.
$11,517
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 55.4%
Federal 22.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Saint Stephens High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandys High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fred T Foard High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Maiden High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bunker Hill High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Saint Stephens Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Saint Stephens High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 935
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 930
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 852
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 845
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high schools in Hickory
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,268 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Saint Stephens High's federal record.
- Compare Saint Stephens High against another school. Compare schools
- Catawba County Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Saint Stephens High
How many students attend Saint Stephens High?
Saint Stephens High has 1,268 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hickory, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens High?
The student-teacher ratio at Saint Stephens High is 18.6:1, which is 18% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saint Stephens High?
48.5% of students at Saint Stephens High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saint Stephens High?
The largest demographic group at Saint Stephens High is White at 44.2% of enrollment, in Hickory, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Saint Stephens High?
Saint Stephens High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Saint Stephens High rank among high schools in Hickory?
By Resource Investment Index, Saint Stephens High ranks #4 of 4 high schools in Hickory, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Hickory on the city page.
Is Saint Stephens High a good school?
Saint Stephens High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of North Carolina schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Catawba County Schools?
Besides Saint Stephens High, Catawba County Schools also operates Bandys High (935 students), Fred T Foard High (930 students), and Maiden High (852 students). See the Catawba County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.