Best Public Schools in Cleveland, NC

Summary:

The city of Cleveland, North Carolina is home to two elementary schools: West Rowan Elementary and Cool Spring Elementary. These schools serve students in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools and Iredell-Statesville Schools districts, respectively.

Based on the available data, Cool Spring Elementary appears to be the standout performer, ranking in the top 11% of North Carolina elementary schools and consistently outpacing West Rowan Elementary and state/district averages in math, reading, and science proficiency. Cool Spring also has a lower student-teacher ratio of 13.3 compared to 15.9 at West Rowan. However, both schools serve predominantly low-income communities, with over 98% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

The data reveals a significant performance gap between the two schools, which may be influenced by the $2,142 per-student spending difference, with Cool Spring spending $9,664 per student compared to $7,522 at West Rowan. These disparities suggest that factors such as resource allocation, educational investments, and district-level support may play a role in the schools' academic outcomes. Further investigation into the drivers of these differences could provide valuable insights to support educational improvement efforts in the region.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cool Spring Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1969 Mocksville Hwy	Cleveland	27013	Iredell County	Iredell-Statesville Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 873-4949	447	31	14.3	99.3%	298 (66.7%)	27 (6.0%)	83 (18.6%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.5%)	85.1	171^st of 1490 public elementary schools	88.5%		88.1	140^th of 1505 public elementary schools	90.7%	31	85.5	78.1	84.1	71.1	73.4	66.7	65.2	$9,664	$840	$8,824
West Rowan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	480 Mimosa St	Cleveland	27013	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 278-2131	611	41	15.0	99.5%	343 (56.1%)	70 (11.5%)	129 (21.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (10.6%)	34.8	1005^th of 1490 public elementary schools	32.6%		29.1	1117^th of 1505 public elementary schools	25.8%	112	43.1	50.9	61.9	34.1	48.2	47.4	57.7	$7,522	$730	$6,792

Cities Near Cleveland

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mount Ulla	3.68 mi	2	314^th
Salisbury	5.54 mi	15	445^th
Cooleemee	8.52 mi	1	366^th
Statesville	8.99 mi	22	349^th
China Grove	9.97 mi	6	335^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.