Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Shelby, North Carolina - 28 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Cleveland County Schools #80 of 297 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,540 per pupil, Cleveland County Schools ranks #126 of 328 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
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 $12,540 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 328 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 61/100, ranked #80 of 297 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 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.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
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.
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.
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 28 schools in Cleveland County Schools.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Cleveland County Schools's schools, about the same as the North Carolina average of 56.1.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
| School | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| Kings Mountain High | 1,305 |
| Crest High | 1,098 |
| Burns High | 928 |
| Crest Middle | 810 |
| Shelby High | 792 |
| Burns Middle | 744 |
| Elizabeth Elementary | 649 |
| Kings Mountain Middle | 631 |
| Springmore Elementary | 618 |
| Kings Mountain Intermediate | 601 |
| Shelby Middle | 588 |
| Boiling Springs Elementary | 558 |
| Bethware Elementary | 548 |
| Township Three Elementary | 540 |
| Fallston Elementary | 502 |
| Jefferson Elementary | 439 |
| Union Elementary | 413 |
| Washington Elementary | 376 |
| James Love Elementary | 376 |
| Grover Elementary | 323 |
| West Elementary | 289 |
| Casar Elementary | 275 |
| North Elementary | 272 |
| Cleveland Echs | 225 |
| East Elementary | 199 |
| Cleveland Innovation | 187 |
| Turning Point Academy | 142 |
| North Shelby | 76 |
The North Carolina districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nash County Public Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Randolph County School System | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Catawba County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Moore County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Brunswick County Schools | Similar size | Similar spending | More locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Cleveland County Schools's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Wake County Schools →Cleveland County Schools has 28 schools, including 5 high, 4 middle, 18 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 14,406 students.
Cleveland County Schools spends $12,540 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #80 in North Carolina.
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.
Cleveland County Schools has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #80 out of 297 districts in North Carolina.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.