Challenger Early College High School is a public secondary school in Hickory, North Carolina, United States on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College. Challenger Early College High School is ranked the top high school in Catawba County Schools.HistoryChallenger Early College High School was established in August 2005 as a joint project of the Catawba Valley Education Consortium, including Catawba County Schools, Alexander County Schools, Hickory City Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, and Catawba Valley Community College.Applying to ChallengerAt the end of 8th grade, about 300 students from Alexander County and Catawba County apply to Challenger Early College High School. From the pool of students that apply, one-hundred and fifty students are accepted with consideration to level of education attained by their parents, family socio-economic status, ethnicity population at national and state universities, single-parent home status, teacher recommendations for success in an accelerated program.