Catawba County is home to a community college, a 4-year private university, and a 4-year public university.

Education


Higher Education

Catawba County is home to Appalachian State University Hickory Campus, a public four-year university; Lenoir Rhyne University, a four-year liberal arts school and Catawba Valley Community College.

 

Catawba Valley Community College's (CVCC) commitment to solving workforce needs for local industries is evident in the creation of its Workforce Solutions Complex.  A culmination of many years of planning and collaboration with the three public school systems, this $23 million dollar, 86,000 square foot facility houses technology and engineering programs for college students, and junior & senior high school students from all schools in Catawba County.  Business-driven programs include:  Computer Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Computer Integrated Machining, Electronics Engineering Technology, Welding, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Mechatronics, and Robotics.   

The new 225,800 s.f. Appalachian State University Hickory Campus opened in Fall 2023 with more than 100 undergraduate majors available.  The HIckory campus has enrollment of 511. The facility is larger than any building on App State's main campus in Boone and sits on 115.7 acres of land including large open spaces.  It is a short drive from the NC School of Science and Mathematics western campus in Morganton which opened in June 2022. App State received an R2 Research Activity Designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, awarded to institutionis with high research activity and doctorate production.

Lenoir Rhyne University (LRU), a private Lutheran school, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The University has over 2,200 students, including both undergraduate and graduate.  LRU offers 50 majors, 53 minors, and 20 graduate programs.  Academic programs include Accounting, Business Administration, Information Technology, International Business, Management, Marketing, Nursing, and more.   

 

Colleges & Universities within 50 miles of Catawba County

University of North Carolina Campuses (Fall 2023)
 Institution  City Total Enrollment  Distance 
Appalachian State University (ASU) Boone 21,253 43
Appalachian State University (ASU) Hickory 511 (2024) -
UNC - Charlotte Charlotte 30,298 50
Source:  National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator
Community Colleges
Institution City Curriculum
Enrollment
(Spring '23)		 Curriculum & 
Continuing Educ.
('23-'24)		 Distance
Caldwell CC & TI Hudson 3,535 9,378 11
Catawba Valley CC Hickory 4,403 12,951 -
Cleveland CC Shelby 2,490 8,955 44
Central Piedmont CC Charlotte 18,887 48,814 46
Gaston College Dallas 5,686 16,608 22
McDowell TCC Marion 1,216 5,535 46
Mitchell CC Statesville 3,393 9,149 17
Rowan-Cabarrus CC Salisbury 6,371 22,250 46
Western Piedmont CC Morganton 1,749 6,345 20
Source:  NC Community College System, Dashboard
Independant Colleges & Universities (Fall 2023)
Institution City Enrollment Distance
Belmont Abbey College Belmont 1,650 33
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences Concord 753 43
Catawba College Salisbury 1,241 43
Davidson College Davidson 1,904 32
Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs 3,125 40
Johnson & Wales University Charlotte 1,128 45
Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte 1,102 44
Lees-McRae College Banner Elk 839 40
Lenoir-Rhyne University Hickory 2,230 -
Livingstone College Salisbury 814 46
Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte 1,846 47
Source:  National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator

  

K-12 Education

K-12 Public School Enrollment - 2022-2023
District Schools Enrollment
Catawba County Schools 28 15,360
Hickory City Schools 9 3,357
Newton-Conover City Schools 7 2,753
Source:  NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Schools Report Card
K-12 Non-Public School Enrollment - 2023-2024
  Schools Enrollment
Non-Public Schools 12 1,924
Source:  NC Dept. of Admin., Div. of Non-Public Educ., Directory of Non-Public Schools
Public Schools SAT Scores - 2023
  #Tested %Tested Math ERW Total
US 1,608,613 NA 493 510 1003
NC 22,607 23.8 556 567 1122
Catawba 121 11.6 576 574 1150
Hickory 42 16.2 590 589 1180
Newton-
Conover		 19 9.3 607 640 1246
Source:  NC Department of Public Instruction, 2022-23 SAT Performance by District & School
Public Schools ACT Scores - 2023-2024
 
#Tested
Composite
Mean
English Mean
(Met
Benchmark)
Math Mean
(Met
Benchmark)
Reading Mean
(Met
Benchmark)
Science Mean
(Met
Benchmark)
Met all 4
Benchmarks
NC
106,198
18.1
16.4
(38.5%)
18.0
(23.4%)
18.8
(33.6%)
18.5
(22.7%)
15.2%
Catawba
1,208
17.6
15.6
(34.0%)
17.5
(18.5%)
18.5
(29.7%)
18.3
(18.6%)
10.4%
Hickory
273
16.9
14.7
(27.8%)
16.7
(15.0%)
18.1
(29.3%)
17.5
(15.8%)
8.1
Newton-
Conover
205
18.6
16.7
(38.5%)
18.0
(22.4%)
19.7
(34.1%)
19.3
(23.9%)
13.7
Source:  NC Department of Public Instruction, ACT Results
Public School Post High School Intentions - 2022-2023
 
Catawba
Hickory
Newton-
Conover
      Total
Public Sr. Institution
259
(23.0%)
67
(24.2%)
70
(30.4%)
396
(23.3%)
Private Sr. Institution
96
(8.5%)
19
(6.9%)
22
(9.6%)
137
(9.2%)
Community College
441
(39.2%)
116
(41.9%)
85
(37.0%)
642
(40.7%)
Private Jr. College
1
(0.1%)
1
(0.4%)
-
2
(0.1%)
Trade Business School
25
(2.2%)
6
(2.2%)
-
31
(1.4%)
Military
24
(2.1%)
8
(2.9%)
3
(1.3%)
35
(2.1%)
Employment
270
(24.0%)
57
(20.6%)
48
(20.9%)
375
(22.1%)
Other
9
(0.8%)
3
(1.1%)
2
(0.9%)
14
(1.1%)
Totals
1,125
277
230
1,632
Source:  NC Department of Public Instruction, Statistical Profile for 2022-2023