CCS Volunteers and Community

Partners

More than 60,000 volunteer hours are documented in the schools.

Schools coordinate more volunteer programs: Watch D.O.G.S.
(Dads of Great Students), Backpack Program, Lunch Buddies and
Girls on the Run.
Tutors receive training.
More than 60 businesses partner with public education.

Largest Transportation Company

in Caldwell County

120 yellow buses

6,000 students ride the buses every day
1.2 million miles driven a year
1,000 gallons of fuel used in a day
Students continue to ride to and from school at no charge

CALDWELL COUNTY SCHOOLS

Food Facts in the

Caldwell County Schools

4,100 students eat breakfast a day

725,700 breakfasts are served each year
8,500 lunches served daily
1,504,500 meals served annually
11 schools provide breakfast in the classroom
21 sites have provided summer meals for children and youth
59.91% of students qualify for free or reduced meals

Advancements in Technology
6,900 computers in the school system
1 to 2.3 ratio of computers to students
Smart technology in every classroom
Chromebooks deployed throughout the district
All schools have free Wi-Fi access for students and staff

Funding and Expenses

State Funding
Caldwell County Schools received funds from the state totaling
$72.6 million.

Local Funds 24%

The Caldwell County Commissioners allocated more than $14.4
million for operating expenses. Other sources of local revenue
included capital outlay, grants, court fines, forfeitures, sales tax
refund and additional sources.

FUNDING
State Funds 61%
Local Funds 24%
Enterprise Funds 8%
Federal Funds 7%

Federal Funds 7%
The school district received approximately $8 million from
the federal government. All federal funds are earmarked for
specific programs, i.e. student remediation, handicapped
children, improving teacher quality, etc.

u 11 Elementary
u 4 K - 8 Schools
u 4 Middles Schools
u 3 Traditional High Schools
u 1 Early College
u 1 Middle College
u 1 Science Center
u 2 Alternative Placement Schools
u 24 Campuses
u 26 Schools
u Education Center
u Maintenance Department
u Transportation Department

Four high schools serving grades 9 - 12:

Caldwell Career Center Middle College
Hibriten
South Caldwell
West Caldwell

Caldwell Early College High School

One school serving grades 9 - 13:
Students receive a high school diploma and college Associates
degree at the completion of a five-year commitment.

Enterprise Funding

Alternative Schools

Enterprise Funds 8%

totaled $118,832,607

Four middle schools serving grades 6 - 8:

Gamewell Middle
Granite Falls Middle
Hudson Middle
William Lenoir Middle

LOCATED
THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTY

High School Education

Federal Funding

u 9,697 per pupil expenditures (2013)

u $31K beginning teacher salary
u $42K average teacher salary

Middle School Education

Four schools serving grades K - 8:

Colletsville
Happy Valley
Kings Creek
Oak Hill

Local Funding

u Revenue support for the Caldwell County Schools

Eleven elementary schools serving grades K - 5:

Baton
Davenport A+
Dudley Shoals
Gamewell
Granite Falls
Hudson
Lower Creek
Sawmills
Valmead
West Lenoir
Whitnel

Elementary and Middle School

Education

State Funds 61%

These funds are associated with two self-supporting enterprises:

Child Nutrition Program and WrapAround Program (before and
after school child care).

Elementary Education

EXPENSES

Two schools
Horizons Elementary (K - 5)
Gateway School (6 - 12)

Caldwell County Schools

Instructional 74%
Support Services 13%
Capital Outlay 7%
School Food Service 5%
Child Care Service 1%

Caldwell County Schools

1914 Hickory Blvd. SW Lenoir, NC 28645

Phone: 828-728-8407 Fax: 828-728-0012
www.CaldwellSchools.com

A N N UA L R E P O RT 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT

STATE AND NATIONAL RANKINGS

More Students Graduating

Allow me to take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge all those who supported the Caldwell County Schools during the 2013-2014
school year. Because of their contributions and involvement in public education we experienced another successful school year as indicated
throughout this Annual Report.
Among the list of achievements, my attention is immediately drawn to the number of students who graduated from the Caldwell County
School System last spring. The graduating Class of 2014 posted a graduation rate of 90.9%, the highest graduation rate ever recorded in
the school district. To fully comprehend what this means for us, you must reflect back 20 years ago when Caldwell County struggled with
one of the worst dropout rates in the state. The districts graduation rate has increased by nearly 25% in seven years when the state began
reporting the 4-year data and has exceeded the state average for the last five years. Many in the school district deserve recognition for this
outstanding accomplishment.
Credit begins at the core with teachers. They are always influencing, encouraging and challenging the minds
of students. Teachers serve as counselors, role models, part-time parents, friends, heroes, mentors,
tutors and confidants in addition to providing a rigorous learning environment. They continue to
perform admirably under ever changing legislation and continue to focus on setting high standards and
expectations for students.

Vision
Every student will graduate from high school, be globally
competitive for work or post-secondary education, and be
prepared for life in the 21st century.

Employees Demonstrate
Professionalism & Dedication
1,730 Employees 844 teachers
State and National Presenters Statewide Awardees
Scholarship Recipients National Master Teachers
264 National Board Certified Teachers or 30%
100% of teachers are fully licensed
100% of teacher assistants have 96+ hours of
additional professional training
8.38% Teacher Turnover Rate

Course of Study

More than 6,500 college credits achieved in high school

Rankings among freshmen at top universities and colleges

Attention

Dr. Steve Stone

Superintendent

Population of

North Carolina Standard

Statewide and National

Today, more students in the school district understand the value and worth of graduation. From the time they enter kindergarten, until the
moment they walk across the graduation threshold, they will be encouraged to envision, prepare and experience graduation in their youth.
We welcome, nurture and teach each child in the public schools of Caldwell County, and we feel equally privileged to prepare them for
their next step beyond graduation into a bright and prosperous future.

Mission Statement
To provide quality instruction in a safe caring environment

Curriculum and Instruction

$7.9 million in scholarships

More than 80% graduates moving on to some form of

higher education

Overall, the Caldwell County School employees could not have sustained their momentum without the unified belief and combined efforts
of the Board of Education. They support the school districts strong administrative leadership to develop dropout prevention programs,
establish quality monitoring/evaluation systems, and involve parents and the community.

Diverse

Highest Graduation Rate

Ever Recorded: 90.9%

83% of Early College High School students earned their

Associates Degree

Without the assistance of support staff, this achievement could not have been realized. School nurses, social
workers and counselors work tirelessly to evaluate students academic, emotional, behavioral and health care
needs, while providing direct intervention or referral services. Teacher assistants provide much needed support
in the classroom for individual students and small group instruction. School office staff, custodians, bus drivers,
child nutrition staff, and other associate staff contribute daily to a safe learning environment and to the
wellbeing of students.

Mission and a Vision

CALDWELL COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM

Students

12,090 Students
120 Pre-Kindergarten Students
5,204 Students in Grades 1-5
2,785 Students in Grades 6-8
3,981 Students in Grades 9-13
1,366 or 11% Gifted Students
1,662 or 14% Exceptional Students
81% White Students
9% Hispanic Students
5% African-American Students
4% Multi-racial Students
1% Asian Students
906 English as a Second Language Students
18 Different languages spoken

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction nominated

Caldwell Early College High School for nationwide recognition as
a National Blue Ribbon School.
Caldwell Early College High School is one of four innovative
model schools in North Carolina through the Learning Laboratory
Initiative.
Hudson Elementary School and the Caldwell County Schools
were winners in the statewide Fuel Up to Play 60 competition and
received grant funding from the Southeast United Dairy Industry
Association to promote healthy eating and physical activity.
Keith Hindman, Middle School Director, was awarded the
Western Region 2014 Central Office Administrator to Watch
Award, a distinction presented by the North Carolina Association
for Middle Level Education.
Caldwell County Board of Education, local officials, community
leaders, teachers, students and district administrators participated
in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new William Lenoir Middle
School scheduled to open in August 2015.
Hibriten High School received national recognition for being
the Top AFS School in 2014, an honor by the AFS-USA for
promoting global citizenship through intercultural learning and
communication.
The Caldwell County Schools received four new School Resource
Officer positions through the 2013 School Resource Officer (SRO)
matching grants administered by the State Board of Education.
Sara Stafford, Band Director at Granite Falls Middle, received the
ENCORE Award, an honor given by the American School Band
Directors Association to a select group of band instructors with
fewer than seven years of experience in the music profession.

For the fourth consecutive year, Gamewell Middle School has

earned the designation of an Exemplar School in the NC Positive
Behavior Intervention and Support Initiative (PBIS). Baton
Elementary and Davenport A+ School were recognized as Green
Ribbon Schools and in its third year, Gamewell Elementary
received recognition as a Model School in PBIS.
In three years, Caldwell County students and teachers have
earned more than 1,500 professional certifications through the
Microsoft IT Academy.
The two FM radio stations at South Caldwell High School
celebrated 10 years of successful daily programming.
Baton Elementary, Collettsville, Davenport A+ School, Happy
Valley, William Lenoir Middle and Whitnel Elementary were
selected as Title I Reward Schools, based on either academic
performance or academic progress.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Stone was named Superintendent of the
Year for the 12 member school systems of the Northwest Regional
Education Service Alliance (RESA), a selection process coordinated
by the NC Association of School Administrators.
Hibriten High School English teacher Jamie Lewis and
Caldwell County Schools Elementary Instructional Facilitator
Annie Croon have been selected to participate in the Governors
Teacher Network, a new initiative that involves approximately 450
outstanding teachers from across North Carolina to serve for one
year as content experts and professional development creators and/
or facilitators.
The school district has been awarded the NC Math/Science
Partnership Grant (E-MAGINE: Engineering-Making a Greater
Impact iN Education) totalling more than $500,000 over 3 years.

Continuation of high standards in Math, Science and English

language arts
End of Grade Testing in Math and English in grades 3-8
End of Grade Testing in Science in grades 5 and 8
End of Course Testing in English II, Math I and Biology in high school
NC Read to Achieve Program implementation for third graders
Career and College Promise offers structured opportunities for high
school students to enroll in community college courses at one of the
innovative high schools or through the Career Technical Education or
College Transfer pathway.
Caldwell County has two Cooperative Innovative High Schools
Caldwell Early College High School and Caldwell Career Center
Middle College. Students at both of these schools can earn college credit
throughout high school.
Advanced Placement Courses Caldwell County Schools offers

15 Advanced Placement (AP) courses across five disciplines that
provide an opportunity for students to earn college credits.
Virtual Courses North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) is
offered to all K-8, middle schools and high schools.
264 enrollments in 2013-2014
The district rate of students passing courses increased from 82.34% in
2012-2013 to 90.95% in 2013-2014
Middle school students had a 100% passing rate.

Students prepare for Careers

Career Technical Education (CTE) offers 82 course offerings
within 15 career pathways.
33 high school CTE courses are eligible for articulated credit for
community college courses.
26 high school CTE courses offer business/industry credentials.
Over 4,000 high school students are enrolled in CTE courses.
Graduation rate for CTE Concentrators is 98.2% (CTE
Concentrators are students who complete four courses in a career
pathway to include one advanced course or second level course).
Nearly 3,400 Caldwell County middle school students are
enrolled in CTE courses.
CTE in middle school includes Exploring Career Decisions,
Business Technology & Project Lead the Way.
CTE courses in high school range from Hibriten Firefighter
Academy to welding and bricklaying to Nursing Fundamentals.

STEM Science

Technology Engineering & Math

Pathway to Engineering Program at Caldwell Career Center

Middle College (CCCMC) and West Caldwell provide
pre-college curriculum
Two PLTW teachers at CCCMC and William Lenoir
Middle School were appointed as National Master Teachers
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) engages nearly 3,000 middle
school students in problem-based, hands-on classroom
experiences in Math and Science.
All middle and K-8 schools are nationally recognized for
Gateway to Technology Project Lead the Way Program.
UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in
partnership with Minds On Summer Science Program provide
science activities to K-5 WrapAround Camps, create middle
school summer camps at Patterson Science Center and host a
science night at Patterson Science Center.

Patterson Science Center

7,727 students in grades K-8 experience age-appropriate, handson activities and studies in all science, technology, engineering,
agriculture and math areas at the Patterson Science Center.
Outreach programs at the Patterson Science Center include Science
Fairs, gardening at the elementary schools and bringing science to
Kinders.
Patterson Science Center instructional programs cover meteorology,
living organisms, geology, ecosystems, weather, space, forces, and
earth processes.
Patterson Science Center provides STEM summer camps for
elementary and middle school and training for Caldwell County
educators.

School Day WrapAround

15 sites serve an average of 750 students in grades K-8
Partner with Sawmills Farmers Market, Patterson Science
Center and UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
9 Summer Camp Programs serve an average of 400 students
in grades K-8