Cleveland County Schools

400 West Marion Street
Shelby, NC 28150
(District boundaries shown in map)
: 
6/
10
Top 50%

Top Rankings

Cleveland County Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:

Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 7 public middle schools serving 3,178 students in Cleveland County Schools. This district's average middle testing ranking is 5/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in North Carolina.
Public Middle Schools in Cleveland County Schools have an average math proficiency score of 51% (versus the North Carolina public middle school average of 48%), and reading proficiency score of 47% (versus the 50% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 45% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the North Carolina public middle school average of 57% (majority Black and Hispanic).

Overview

This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
28 Schools
872 Schools
# Students
14,504 Students
496,921 Students
# Teachers
928 Teachers
31,042 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
16:1
16:1

Student By Grade

District Rank

Cleveland County Schools, which is ranked within the top 50% of all 314 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 84% has decreased from 88% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (NC)
#139 out of 325 school districts
(Top 50%)

Showing 2013–2023. Full 14-year historical data available below ↓

(21-22)
56%
51%

Showing 2012–2022. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

48%
50%

Showing 2012–2022. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

65%
63%
84%
86.5%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

(2022-23)
29.6%
28.7%

Students by Ethnicity:

0.61
0.71

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
1%
4%

Showing 2010–2023. Full 19-year historical data available below ↓

% Hispanic
10%
21%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 27-year historical data available below ↓

% Black
27%
25%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% White
55%
43%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 36-year historical data available below ↓

% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
7%
6%

Showing 2014–2023. Full 13-year historical data available below ↓

All Ethnic Groups

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $15,056 is higher than the state median of $13,318. The school district revenue/student has grown by 15% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $14,987 is higher than the state median of $13,934. The school district spending/student has grown by 19% over four school years.
This School District
This State (NC)
Total Revenue
$218 MM
$20,622 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending
$217 MM
$21,575 MM

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Revenue / Student
$15,056
$13,318

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Spending / Student
$14,987
$13,934

Showing 2014–2023. Full 34-year historical data available below ↓

Best Cleveland County Schools Public Middle Schools (2026-27)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
North Shelby
Special Education School
(Math: 60-79% | Reading: 60-79%)
Rank:
9/
10
Top 20%
1701 Charles Road
Shelby, NC 28152
(704) 476-8230
Gr: PK-12 | 76 students Student-teacher ratio: 6:1 Minority enrollment: 43%
Rank: #22.
Kings Mountain Middle School
(Math: 56% | Reading: 51%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
1000 Phifer Road
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
(704) 476-8340
Gr: 7-8 | 631 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 45%
Rank: #33.
Burns Middle School
(Math: 55% | Reading: 49%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
215 Shady Grove Road
Lawndale, NC 28090
(704) 476-8223
Gr: 6-8 | 744 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 31%
Rank: #44.
Crest Middle School
(Math: 55% | Reading: 47%)
Rank:
6/
10
Top 50%
315 Beaver Dam Church Rd
Shelby, NC 28152
(704) 476-8221
Gr: 6-8 | 810 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 40%
Rank: #55.
Cleveland Innovation
(Math: 30-34% | Reading: 45-49%)
Rank:
4/
10
Bottom 50%
400 W Marion St
Shelby, NC 28150
(704) 476-8163
Gr: K-12 | 187 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 34%
Rank: #66.
Shelby Middle School
(Math: 37% | Reading: 38%)
Rank:
3/
10
Bottom 50%
1480 South Dekalb Street
Shelby, NC 28152
(704) 476-8328
Gr: 6-8 | 588 students Student-teacher ratio: 17:1 Minority enrollment: 70%
Rank: #77.
Turning Point Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: ≤10%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
409 West Sumter Street
Shelby, NC 28150
(704) 476-8399
Gr: 6-12 | 142 students Student-teacher ratio: 12:1 Minority enrollment: 54%

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Quick Facts (26-27)

  • District size: 28 schools
  • Grades: PK-13
  • Enrollment: 14,504 students
  • Student-Teacher Ratio: 16:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 45%
  • : 84% (Top 50% in NC)
  • : Top 50%
  • : 56% (Top 50%)
  • : 48% (Btm 50%)
  • : 65% (Top 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NC Dept. of Education

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