Enrollment
792
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shelby, NC
Shelby High
Federal NCES profile for Shelby High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370090002720
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shelby High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Shelby · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 63.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Shelby High has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Shelby High ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Shelby, NC.
School address
District: Cleveland County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370090002720 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
63.3%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shelby High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shelby High
Shelby High is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Shelby, North Carolina, enrolling 792 students.
At 15.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 63.3% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 792 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 358 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #136.
Its student body is led by African American (53%) and White (29%) (diversity index 62/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 13 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 264 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.5% 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: 272 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 792 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Shelby's high schools, it stands alongside Crest High (1,098 students): Shelby High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.2:1 vs 16.9:1).
Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students) and Crest High (1,098 students) alongside Shelby 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 Shelby High compares
Shelby 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 | 15.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 63.3% | ▼ 4% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 792 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
792
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
63.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 52% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.5%
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 264 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
132
in-school suspensions + 140 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
African American 52.7%
White 29.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.0%
Two or More 6.8%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 52.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Shelby 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 Cleveland County Schools, which includes Shelby 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 Shelby High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Mountain High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crest High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Burns High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Crest Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Burns Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shelby 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
- 1,098
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- 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
- 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 (~792 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shelby High's federal record.
- Compare Shelby 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 Shelby High
How many students attend Shelby High?
Shelby High has 792 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shelby, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shelby High?
The student-teacher ratio at Shelby High is 15.2:1, which is 4% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shelby High?
63.3% of students at Shelby High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shelby High?
The largest demographic group at Shelby High is African American at 52.7% of enrollment, in Shelby, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shelby High?
Shelby High has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Shelby High rank among high schools in Shelby?
By Resource Investment Index, Shelby High ranks #2 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 Shelby High a good school?
Shelby High earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. 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 Shelby High, Cleveland County Schools also operates Kings Mountain High (1,305 students), Crest High (1,098 students), and Burns High (928 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.