Foothills Review

The only school district in Cleveland County had rising enrollment in the 2022-23 school year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

There were 13,865 students in the halls of Cleveland County Schools, 1.3% higher than the year before.

The enrollment numbers in Cleveland County was steady with the state's trend of increasing enrollment.

Cleveland County Schools has a main office in Shelby and is the only school district within Cleveland County.

North Carolina's public schools are facing a significant funding gap, with a per-student expenditure of $10,519 - well below the national average of $14,295.

This financial strain is further compounded by a significant challenge in staffing with a staggering 58.4% surge in vacant teaching positions in the 2021-22 school year, leaving over 5,000 classrooms without qualified instructors.

School	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2021-22	Total % Change
Kings Mountain High School	1,199	1,108	8.2%
Crest High School	1,084	1,066	1.7%
Pinnacle Classical Academy	1,081	1,047	3.2%
Crest Middle School	849	903	-6%
Shelby High School	794	809	-1.9%
Kings Mountain Middle School	713	693	2.9%
Kings Mountain Intermediate School	620	611	1.5%
Shelby Middle School	619	432	43.3%
Springmore Elementary School	542	511	6.1%
Boiling Springs Elementary School	520	508	2.4%
Township Three Elementary School	509	522	-2.5%
Shelby Intermediate School	488	408	19.6%
Bethware Elementary School	478	451	6%
Fallston Elementary School	431	433	-0.5%
Jefferson Elementary School	420	351	19.7%
Union Elementary School	401	362	10.8%
Washington Elementary School	378	392	-3.6%
James Love Elementary School	337	304	10.9%
Grover Elementary School	292	301	-3%
West Elementary School	277	277	0%
Casar Elementary School	264	-	-
North Elementary School	257	252	2%
Cleveland ECHS	213	209	1.9%
East Elementary School	194	-	-
Cleveland Innovation	168	197	-14.7%
Turning Point Academy	112	91	23.1%
North Shelby	79	83	-4.8%