According to a published report by The Hickory Daily Record, a grant application to build a new Hickory High School was not selected by the state Department of Public Instruction. The Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant application requested funding for a new facility on the same site as the current high school.
The new school could cost up to $164 million, according to an estimate from an architecture firm. The grant could have funded up to $62 million of the cost.
NCDPI did not provide a reason why the application by Hickory City Schools was not selected.
Newton-Conover City Schools received $22 million in 2022 for updating Newton-Conover High.
Hickory City Schools has not provided details on the future of Hickory High after the grant application was not selected.