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Crest Middle

Q: Is Crest Middle a good school?

Crest Middle ranks 255 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

255^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 67% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Crest Middle is a public middle school in Shelby, NC, serving 810 students in grades 6-8 as part of Cleveland County Schools. The school currently ranks 255th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools, placing it in the 67th percentile and earning a 3-star rating — making it the top-ranked middle school among its nearby comparison schools.

Academically, Crest exceeds state proficiency averages in six of seven tested subjects. The standout area is 8th-grade reading, where 69.7% of students are proficient, compared to just 56.1% statewide. Seventh- and 8th-grade math scores are also strong, running roughly 7–9 points above state averages. Crest outperforms nearby schools serving similar communities, including Shelby Middle (31st percentile), Kings Mountain Middle (52nd), and Burns Middle (62nd). For example, 8th-grade reading proficiency at Crest is 69.7% versus 52.4% at Shelby Middle, and 7th-grade math is 63.4% versus 38.4% — a dramatic gap between two schools just miles apart in the same district.

Crest is especially effective with student groups that often face achievement gaps. Low-income students rank at the 77th percentile statewide, English Learners at the 89th percentile, and Hispanic students at the 72nd percentile. The school's main challenge area is special education, where students rank at the 30th percentile — though this is a meaningful improvement from recent years. Chronic absenteeism (29.2%) is another concern, running above both district and state averages. Overall, Crest has shown strong positive momentum, with substantial gains in upper-grade reading and math over the past several years, though it has not yet returned to its pre-2020 peak ranking.

810

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

315 Beaver Dam Church Rd
Shelby, NC 28152-9807

(704) 476-8221

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Crest Middle usually attend:

High:	Cleveland ECHS
	Crest High

Feeder schools for Crest Middle:

Elementary:	Boiling Springs Elementary
	Springmore Elementary
	Township Three Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.5%

African American:

24.7%

Hispanic:

8.8%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Crest Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 49th percentile in 2016 → 67th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (63% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2016

✓Above the North Carolina median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school63%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

255^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to top 33% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

82^nd of 246Cleveland County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	255 of 778	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.9	276 of 773	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	367 of 793	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	364 of 784	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.2	300 of 786	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.6	238 of 741	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.3	181 of 737	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	163 of 691	76.4%	★★★★☆
2017	58.9	289 of 694	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	50.3	356 of 692	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	56.3	303 of 705	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.9	275 of 627	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.6	226 of 673	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.0	297 of 662	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.4	260 of 648	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.6	245 of 640	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.8	230 of 630	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.9	246 of 620	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.3	155 of 606	74.4%	★★★★☆
2006	72.6	136 of 598	77.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	55.8	204 of 553	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.2	196 of 546	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	281 of 560	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.6	225 of 559	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	185 of 550	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	125 of 533	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.9	115 of 519	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	88 of 494	82.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	18.7	426 of 449	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	438 of 478	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	51.2	197 of 504	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.6	215 of 475	54.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.9	40 of 363	89.0%	★★★★☆
2025	53.4	113 of 371	69.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	261 of 731	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.1	268 of 733	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.0	385 of 738	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.4	343 of 731	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	261 of 733	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	226 of 706	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.5	155 of 684	77.3%	★★★★☆
2018	70.7	185 of 656	71.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.2	223 of 465	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.0	214 of 458	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.5	260 of 461	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.6	272 of 452	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.8	265 of 450	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	62.0	192 of 448	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.7	159 of 566	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	67.3	130 of 562	76.9%	★★★★☆
2024	58.2	204 of 564	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	210 of 553	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.7	145 of 541	73.2%	★★★★☆
2021	55.9	189 of 522	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.1	99 of 493	79.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	51 of 472	89.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.5	169 of 725	76.7%	★★★★☆
2025	65.4	184 of 729	74.8%	★★★★☆
2024	56.9	288 of 743	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	315 of 735	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	244 of 689	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.1	148 of 633	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.5	113 of 639	82.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.2	91 of 604	84.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	251 of 736	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.9	265 of 733	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.2	318 of 751	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	361 of 747	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	299 of 748	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.5	243 of 711	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.5	232 of 697	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.8	153 of 665	77.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.3	134 of 333	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.8	158 of 328	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.1	175 of 306	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.7	240 of 302	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.0	174 of 283	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	61.4	64 of 248	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	76.5	36 of 237	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	61.2	74 of 221	66.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	350 of 500	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.7	322 of 478	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.3	421 of 473	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.3	297 of 644	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.9	300 of 649	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.5	394 of 652	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.2	398 of 656	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.4	317 of 658	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	254 of 632	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.8	213 of 624	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	200 of 596	66.4%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)89th percentile+22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)77th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)66th percentile~ school

Female (2026)64th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)63rd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)60th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)54th percentile-13 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)52nd percentile-15 vs school

Special Education (2026)30th percentile-37 vs school

Disabled (2022)5th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science68%~ state avg

Mathematics62%+6 vs state

Reading62%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Crest Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)				EOG Reading (2026)				EOG Science (2026)		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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Crest Middle	Public	6-8	315 Beaver Dam Church Rd	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8221	810	50	16.3	98.9%	490 (60.5%)	200 (24.7%)	71 (8.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (5.7%)	64.2	255^th of 778 public middle schools	67.2%		60.9	276^th of 773 public middle schools	64.3%	21		61.2	63.4	62.1		55.9	60.3	69.7		68.2	$8,409	$668	$7,741
Shelby Middle	Public	6-8	1480 South Dekalb Street	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8328	588	35	16.6	99.5%	178 (30.3%)	293 (49.8%)	74 (12.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	32	538^th of 778 public middle schools	30.8%		37.6	488^th of 773 public middle schools	36.9%	50		48.5	38.4	58.9		42.5	40.7	52.4		48.6	$11,218	$923	$10,295
Burns Middle	Public	6-8	215 Shady Grove Road	Lawndale	28090	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8223	744	43	17.1	99.6%	512 (68.8%)	116 (15.6%)	73 (9.8%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (5.1%)	60.5	294^th of 778 public middle schools	62.2%		53.5	349^th of 773 public middle schools	54.9%	55		73.4	62.2	46.3		59.5	52.8	58.8		75.4	$9,061	$807	$8,254
Chase Middle School	Public	6-8	840 Chase High Rd	Forest City	28043	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 247-1043	484	27	18.1	97.1%	338 (69.8%)	30 (6.2%)	80 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.4%)	55.4	346^th of 778 public middle schools	55.5%		61.1	275^th of 773 public middle schools	64.4%	71		56.8	61.8	38.8		56.8	66.9	56.0		72.5	$9,772	$780	$8,991
East Rutherford Middle School	Public	6-8	259 East Church Street	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 245-3750	533	27	20.0	98.7%	350 (65.7%)	66 (12.4%)	76 (14.3%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.9%)	32.1	537^th of 778 public middle schools	31.0%		37.2	492^nd of 773 public middle schools	36.4%	45		63.5	39.8	29.7		51.9	36.3	46.5		60.5	$9,615	$916	$8,699
Kings Mountain Intermediate	Public	5-6	227 Kings Mountain Boulevard	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8366	601	32	19.0	99.3%	352 (58.6%)	144 (24.0%)	56 (9.3%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.7%)								(n/a)	63.0	69.5			52.0	58.5			71.2		$8,233	$1,444	$6,788
Kings Mountain Middle	Public	7-8	1000 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8340	631	37	16.9	99.5%	348 (55.2%)	162 (25.7%)	58 (9.2%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (8.9%)	52.6	373^rd of 778 public middle schools	52.1%		54.9	329^th of 773 public middle schools	57.4%	44			53.5	53.8			58.0	60.8		62.1	$8,838	$691	$8,147
John Chavis Middle School	Public	6-8	103 South Chavis Drive	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9606	412	27	14.9	99.3%	296 (71.8%)	38 (9.2%)	56 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.3%)	44	444^th of 778 public middle schools	42.9%		45.9	427^th of 773 public middle schools	44.8%	17		46.0	54.3	53.4		43.2	51.2	50.4		73.7	$9,634	$956	$8,678
Bessemer City Middle	Public	6-8	525 Ed Wilson Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9602	497	29	17.1	99.4%	205 (41.2%)	136 (27.4%)	118 (23.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.0%)	15.6	678^th of 778 public middle schools	12.9%		19.6	641^st of 773 public middle schools	17.1%	37		37.6	23.1	34.2		38.3	28.4	40.6		55.5	$9,249	$1,434	$7,815
West Lincoln Middle	Public	6-8	260 Shoal Rd	Lincolnton	28092	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-1760	563	39	14.4	98.8%	473 (84.0%)	6 (1.1%)	48 (8.5%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.9%)	57.8	324^th of 778 public middle schools	58.4%		52.8	359^th of 773 public middle schools	53.6%	35		57.4	53.8	56.7		56.5	56.5	58.8		77.8	$8,615	$996	$7,618

Frequently Asked Questions about Crest Middle

Is Crest Middle a good school?

Crest Middle ranks 255^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Crest Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 810 students attended Crest Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Crest Middle?

Students at Crest Middle are 60% White, 25% African American, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Crest Middle attend?

Students who attend Crest Middle usually go on to attend Cleveland ECHS

What district is Crest Middle in?

Cleveland County Schools

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.