District profile / North Carolina

Catawba County Schools

Newton, North Carolina · Superintendent: Dr Matthew Stover · #22 of 112 North Carolina districts by enrollment

Compare with peers

16,003

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$9,604

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 14% below the North Carolina median

17.4

Students per teacher

2024-25 · North Carolina median 15.7

Catawba County Schools is a public school district based in Newton, North Carolina, serving 16,003 students in 28 schools. By enrollment it ranks #22 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 81% of them. Its schools average 572 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Matthew Stover. It spends about $9,604 per student on day-to-day operations, 14% less than the North Carolina median. It has roughly 17.4 students per teacher.

How Catawba County compares

Catawba CountyNorth Carolina median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$9,604

North Carolina median $11,153 · 14% below · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$6,137

North Carolina median $6,920 · 11% below · FY2020-21

Students per school572

North Carolina median 446 · 28% above · 2024-25

Students per teacher17.4

North Carolina median 15.7 · 11% above · 2024-25

Students per counselor372

North Carolina median 358 · about the same · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$168.9 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 11%State 62%Local 26%

Measure	Catawba County	North Carolina median	Year
Current spending per student	$9,604	$11,153	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$6,137	$6,920	FY2020-21
Total spending	$167.9 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$168.9 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	920	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	17.4	15.7	2024-25
Students per counselor	372	358	2024-25

Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.

Leadership

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Dr Matthew Stover

Superintendent, Catawba County Schools

Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change

In the news

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We haven't matched any stories to Catawba County Schools yet. Recent North Carolina coverage is on the North Carolina page.

Peer districts in North Carolina

Compare side by side →

District	Students	Schools	Spending per student	Students per teacher	Rank
Rowan-Salisbury SchoolsSalisbury	17,683	32	$10,804	17.3	#20
Wayne County Public SchoolsGoldsboro	17,150	33	$10,063	18.1	#21
Catawba County SchoolsNewton · this district	16,003	28	$9,604	17.4	#22
Randolph County School SystemAsheboro	14,994	32	$9,697	15.5	#23
Cleveland County SchoolsShelby	14,504	28	$10,753	15.6	#24

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Oxnard Union HighOxnard, CA	16,039	$13,649	22.8
York 03Rock Hill, SC	16,034	$12,655	13.3
Cajon Valley UnionEl Cajon, CA	15,992	$14,459	23.8
Trenton Public School DistrictTrenton, NJ	15,964	$16,859	16.1

Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-catawba-county-schools