Foothills Review

There were 14,971 students enrolled in Cleveland County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 12.4% more than the previous year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Kings Mountain High School registered the highest enrollment among Cleveland County's 29 schools in the 2023-24 school year, welcoming 1,261 students.

North Carolina’s student-teacher ratio is roughly 15.4 students per teacher, aligning with the national average. However, rising teacher turnover threatens to push class sizes higher, making it harder for students to get individualized attention.

If vacancies continue to grow, schools may struggle to maintain this ratio, impacting the quality of instruction. Districts in lower-funded areas face the biggest challenges, as limited budgets make it harder to attract and retain teachers.

School name	Total Enrollment in 2022-23	Total Enrollment in 2023-24	% Change
Kings Mountain High School	1,199	1,261	5.2%
Pinnacle Classical Academy	1,081	1,136	5.1%
Crest High School	1,084	1,054	-2.8%
Burns High School	-	881	-
Crest Middle School	849	829	-2.4%
Shelby High School	794	769	-3.1%
Burns Middle School	-	753	-
Kings Mountain Middle School	713	659	-7.6%
Kings Mountain Intermediate School	620	632	1.9%
Shelby Middle School	619	595	-3.9%
Springmore Elementary School	542	565	4.2%
Boiling Springs Elementary School	520	531	2.1%
Township Three Elementary School	509	499	-2%
Bethware Elementary School	478	498	4.2%
Shelby Intermediate School	488	473	-3.1%
Fallston Elementary School	431	456	5.8%
Jefferson Elementary School	420	426	1.4%
Union Elementary School	401	386	-3.7%
James Love Elementary School	337	350	3.9%
Washington Elementary School	378	348	-7.9%
Grover Elementary School	292	282	-3.4%
West Elementary School	277	268	-3.2%
North Elementary School	257	267	3.9%
Casar Elementary School	264	265	0.4%
Cleveland ECHS	213	210	-1.4%
East Elementary School	194	186	-4.1%
Cleveland Innovation	168	164	-2.4%
Turning Point Academy	112	151	34.8%
North Shelby	79	77	-2.5%