Enrollment
1,889
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Clayton, NC
Cleveland High
Federal NCES profile for Cleveland High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370237003215
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cleveland High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina.
- #3 of 13
- public schools in Clayton · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 31.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Cleveland High has class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cleveland High ranks #3 of 13 public schools in Clayton, NC.
School address
District: Johnston County Public Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370237003215 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
99.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-52% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cleveland High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cleveland High
Cleveland High is a large high school in Clayton, North Carolina, enrolling 1,889 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.1:1 is larger than about 87% of North Carolina schools and 21% above the 15.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 31.5% free-meal eligibility runs 52% below the North Carolina average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,889 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 86 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #18.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 66/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 378 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 17.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 433 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,889 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 11 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Clayton's high schools, it stands alongside Clayton High (1,929 students): Cleveland High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.1:1 vs 17.5:1).
Johnston County Public Schools also operates Corinth Holders High (2,187 students) and Clayton High (1,929 students) alongside Cleveland High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cleveland High compares
Cleveland High on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.1:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 52% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,889 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,889
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 52% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 87% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,788
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 378 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
287
in-school suspensions + 146 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 11 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 49.4%
Hispanic or Latino 24.6%
African American 19.5%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 49.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 65.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 65.5, Cleveland High is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Johnston County Public Schools, which includes Cleveland High.
$10,788
Per student
-10%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 62.2%
Federal 17.1%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cleveland High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corinth Holders High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clayton High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| West Johnston High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Smithfield-Selma High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Johnston High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cleveland High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,187
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,929
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,563
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,548
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,355
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar high schools in Clayton
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,889 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cleveland High's federal record.
- Compare Cleveland High against another school. Compare schools
- Johnston County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cleveland High
How many students attend Cleveland High?
Cleveland High has 1,889 students enrolled. It is a high school in Clayton, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cleveland High?
The student-teacher ratio at Cleveland High is 19.1:1, which is 21% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cleveland High?
31.5% of students at Cleveland High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cleveland High?
The largest demographic group at Cleveland High is White at 49.4% of enrollment, in Clayton, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cleveland High?
Cleveland High has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cleveland High rank among public schools in Clayton?
By Resource Investment Index, Cleveland High ranks #3 of 13 public schools in Clayton, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Clayton on the city page.
Is Cleveland High a good school?
Cleveland High earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of North Carolina schools. It is also one of the largest schools in North Carolina. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Johnston County Public Schools?
Besides Cleveland High, Johnston County Public Schools also operates Corinth Holders High (2,187 students), Clayton High (1,929 students), and West Johnston High (1,563 students). See the Johnston County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.