Catawba County

Economic Development Corporation

Education & Training

Catawba County's emphasis on education is evidenced by the presence of three public school systems - Catawba County Schools, Hickory City Schools and Newton-Conover City Schools - in addition to 12 private schools. An increased focus on higher education is seen in the development of the Hickory Metropolitan Higher Education Center, a collaborative effort between Catawba County's two existing higher education institutes, Lenoir-Rhyne College and Catawba Valley Community College, as well as Appalachian State University. For the second consecutive year, Catawba Valley Community College scored "Superior"--the highest grade possible--on its 2004-05 annual report card from the North Carolina Community College System. Highlights from the report include:

• Corporate clients are overwhelmingly satisfied with customized training

provided by the college (100%).

• Graduates find employment after graduation (99.55%).

• The college met or exceeded students' expectations (98%).

• Employers are overwhelmingly satisfied with graduates' skill level (96%).

• Graduates successfully passed occupational licensure and certification

exams (86%).

Click here to see a summary of the report card...

Select a link below to view a .pdf file from our library for more details.

Public Schools in Catawba County (95 KB)

Catawba County Schools Information (1.87 MB)

Hickory City Schools Information (1.67 MB)