Enrollment
1,098
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shelby, NC
Crest High
Federal NCES profile for Crest High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370090000340
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Crest High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Shelby · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for North Carolina
- 52.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Crest High has class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Crest High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Shelby, NC.
School address
District: Cleveland County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370090000340 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.8%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Crest High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Crest High
Crest High is a higher-need, large high school in Shelby, North Carolina, enrolling 1,098 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.9:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 52.8% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,098 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 256 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #172.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (23%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 366 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 313 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,098 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Shelby's high schools, it stands alongside Shelby High (792 students): Crest High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.9:1 vs 15.2:1).
Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students) and Burns High (928 students) alongside Crest 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 Crest High compares
Crest 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.8% | ▼ 20% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,098 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,098
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 72% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,957
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 366 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
128
in-school suspensions + 185 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 61.1%
African American 23.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Two or More 6.9%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 61.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.2, Crest High is about as mixed as the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cleveland County Schools, which includes Crest High.
$11,957
Per student
0%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Crest High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Mountain High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Burns High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Crest Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Shelby High | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Burns Middle | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Crest High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,305
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 928
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 810
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high schools in Shelby
2 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 (~1,098 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Crest High's federal record.
- Compare Crest High against another school. Compare schools
- Cleveland County 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 Crest High
How many students attend Crest High?
Crest High has 1,098 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shelby, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Crest High?
The student-teacher ratio at Crest High is 16.9:1, which is 7% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Crest High?
52.8% of students at Crest High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Crest High?
The largest demographic group at Crest High is White at 61.1% of enrollment, in Shelby, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Crest High?
Crest High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Crest High rank among high schools in Shelby?
By Resource Investment Index, Crest High ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Shelby, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Shelby on the city page.
Is Crest High a good school?
Crest High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of North Carolina schools. 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 Cleveland County Schools?
Besides Crest High, Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students), Burns High (928 students), and Crest Middle (810 students). See the Cleveland County 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.