Enrollment
187
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 370090003537
Cleveland Innovation — Shelby, NC
Federal NCES profile for Cleveland Innovation, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 67/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 63
📋 Attendance 85
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Cleveland County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cleveland Innovation compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Cleveland Innovation reports 187 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 24% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% below the North Carolina average and 1% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 187 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cleveland County Schools spends $12,545 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.4% from local sources (property taxes), 59.1% from the state, and 19.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cleveland Innovation compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.1:1 | ▼ 26% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.1% | ▼ 23% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 187 | top 10% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
51.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 12% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
5.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,545
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 187 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 187 Top 10% in North Carolina — larger than 90% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 12.1:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.1% -23% vs state
NCES ID 370090003537
Student demographics
White 66.3%
African American 15.0%
Two or More 9.6%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 66.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 187:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cleveland County Schools, which includes Cleveland Innovation.
$12,545
Per student
-4%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.4%
State 59.1%
Federal 19.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,305
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,098
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 928
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 810
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
Similar other schools in Shelby
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pinnacle Classical Academy
Standard public school
1,178 students 29.8:1 students per teacher
Elizabeth Elementary
Standard public school
649 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Springmore Elementary
Standard public school
618 students 14.9:1 students per teacher
Boiling Springs Elementary
Standard public school
558 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Township Three Elementary
Standard public school
540 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
439 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Cleveland Innovation
How many students attend Cleveland Innovation?
Cleveland Innovation has 187 students enrolled. It is a other school in Shelby, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cleveland Innovation?
The student-teacher ratio at Cleveland Innovation is 12.1:1, which is 26% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cleveland Innovation?
51.1% of students at Cleveland Innovation are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cleveland Innovation?
The largest demographic group at Cleveland Innovation is White at 66.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Shelby, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cleveland Innovation?
Cleveland Innovation has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (B-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.