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Shelby, North Carolina - 28 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Cleveland County Schools #88 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,957 per pupil, Cleveland County Schools ranks #138 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
14,406
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$11,957
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cleveland County Schools operates 28 public schools serving 14,406 students, placing it in the mid-size range in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 18 combined, 5 high, 4 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Cleveland County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,957 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 21.4% local, 59.1% state, and 19.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 59/100, ranked #88 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 5 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (50 AP courses district-wide), a 356.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 28.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.3% White, 26.5% African American, 10.2% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Township Three Elementary, with a diversity index of 68.2/100.
Its largest campus is Kings Mountain High, enrolling 1,305 students (9% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is North Shelby, at 76 students, a 17x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Cleveland County Schools school enrollment varies 17× across entities
Cleveland County Schools school enrollment ranges from 76 students (lowest) to 1,305 students (highest), a spread of 1,229 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Cleveland County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 78.8% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Cleveland County Schools student-counselor ratio is 357:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Cleveland County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 28.9% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Cleveland County Schools is typically wider than the Cleveland County Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Cleveland County Schools has 28 schools, including 5 high, 4 middle, 18 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 14,406 students.
How much does Cleveland County Schools spend per student?
Cleveland County Schools spends $11,957 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #88 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Cleveland County Schools?
Cleveland County Schools students are 55.3% White, 26.5% African American, 10.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 28 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cleveland County Schools?
Cleveland County Schools has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #88 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.