We at Catawba Valley High School are committed to providing the best education possible for every student. A firm foundation of responsibility and self-discipline is the first step in creating avenues for student success. By working with individual student needs, the staff can encourage students to pursue the goal of life-long learning and to establish a higher level of self-esteem. A constant awareness of and attention to the delivery of the needs of our students is the hallmark of our alternative educational program.

The purpose of Catawba Valley High School is to help students develop the mental, physical, and social skills needed to become useful responsible citizens in our society. The CVHS staff believes that presenting a challenging and appropriate curriculum in a nurturing and stimulating atmosphere will help students become responsible citizens.

CVHS is located in the Northwest section of Catawba County. The county is primarily a manufacturing, retail, and industrial area. CVHS provides educational services for all three school systems in the county: Catawba County Schools, Newton-Conover Schools, and Hickory City Schools. CVHS is in an urban setting located near the center of the city of Hickory.

CVHS is an alternative school serving students in grades six through twelve who are referred from all school systems within Catawba County. In order to serve the needs of students from different school systems, it is necessary for CVHS to be flexible in its scheduling. The three school systems operate under a traditional school year calendar with ninety-minute block classes. To meet the student return requirements for all three school districts, CVHS has adopted the same ninety-minute block schedule and semester grading system. This allows students to move into and out of their home schools without losing credit.

The task of meeting academic standards at CVHS has been met by structuring all classes using the guidelines of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. In addition, the school follows the state guidelines for testing, including End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests.