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Union Elementary

Q: Is Union Elementary a good school?

Union Elementary ranks 613 th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

613^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Union Elementary is a public elementary school located in Shelby, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 424 students. The school is part of the Cleveland County Schools district, which is ranked 97 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Union Elementary has shown mixed academic performance, with its statewide ranking ranging from 538 to 907 out of around 1,500 North Carolina elementary schools. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school ranked 613 out of 1,490 and received a 3-star rating. Compared to the district and state, Union Elementary has generally performed better in mathematics, with higher proficiency rates in grades 3-5, but its reading proficiency rates have been lower, particularly in grades 3 and 4.

The school's student subgroups have shown notable differences in performance. African American students at Union Elementary have generally performed better than their peers at the state level, while White students have struggled. Students with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds have performed relatively well. The school's high percentage of students from low-income families and its relatively high per-student spending suggest that Union Elementary may be facing significant socioeconomic challenges that require additional resources and support. Despite these challenges, the school's 3-star rating and occasional higher rankings indicate that there may be opportunities for Union Elementary to improve and become a more competitive and high-performing school within the state.

413

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,135

Per pupil spending ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1440 Union Church Road
Shelby, NC 28150-9009

(704) 476-8250

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Union Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Burns Middle
High:	Burns High
	Cleveland ECHS

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.0%

African American:

23.0%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Union Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2015 → 59th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the North Carolina median (59th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school59%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg57%

613^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▲ up 12 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to top 41% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Cleveland County Schools

97^th of 242Cleveland 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
2025	56.9	613 of 1490	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	704 of 1505	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.3	907 of 1502	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.3	671 of 1514	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	825 of 1489	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.1	902 of 1473	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	871 of 1434	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.4	907 of 1429	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	61.3	538 of 1425	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.3	763 of 1440	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	59.7	541 of 1390	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.7	613 of 1403	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.6	355 of 1388	74.4%	★★★★☆
2011	66.6	476 of 1381	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.1	434 of 1363	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.0	376 of 1354	72.2%	★★★★☆
2008	55.9	621 of 1324	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.2	403 of 1293	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	71.7	314 of 1276	75.4%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	47.7	460 of 918	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.7	241 of 924	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	21.7	810 of 933	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.3	555 of 927	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.1	262 of 896	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	53.1	398 of 949	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.0	431 of 927	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	52.6	224 of 634	64.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.2	485 of 1451	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	669 of 1455	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.8	792 of 1459	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.2	600 of 1458	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.3	890 of 1440	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.7	960 of 1424	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	759 of 1405	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	70.7	101 of 710	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	55.5	381 of 669	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.9	555 of 582	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	61.6	221 of 500	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.4	237 of 494	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	74.1	240 of 1437	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	63.2	437 of 1450	69.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.1	695 of 1437	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.8	432 of 1366	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.4	576 of 1329	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.9	682 of 1361	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.0	396 of 1332	70.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	734 of 1450	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.9	709 of 1464	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.7	974 of 1461	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.2	702 of 1464	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.2	697 of 1444	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	806 of 1430	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	925 of 1413	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	433 of 821	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.9	308 of 801	61.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.1	697 of 1172	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	834 of 1166	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.5	905 of 1183	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.3	718 of 1194	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.9	964 of 1172	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	974 of 1183	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.4	947 of 1178	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2025)86th percentile+27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)83rd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2025)67th percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2022)65th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)50th percentile-9 vs school

Male (2025)49th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2025)47th percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)41st percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science69%+7 vs state

Mathematics69%+8 vs state

Reading47%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Union Elementary

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
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1440 Union Church Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8250	413	30	13.6	99.3%	248 (60.0%)	95 (23.0%)	27 (6.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	56.9	613^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%		52.7	704^th of 1505 public elementary schools	53.2%	91	76.2	58.4	73.4	36.5	49.4	54.7	68.8	$10,135	$1,538	$8,597
Fallston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	112 Gary Street	Fallston	28042	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8240	502	36	13.8	99.4%	374 (74.5%)	54 (10.8%)	41 (8.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.4%)	54	670^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.0%		39.7	937^th of 1505 public elementary schools	37.7%	267	70.9	43.2	63.6	50.0	52.7	48.1	71.4	$9,874	$1,550	$8,324
Casar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	436 School House Road	Casar	28020	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8255	275	19	14.2	98.9%	238 (86.5%)	7 (2.5%)	23 (8.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	82.5	206^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.2%		79.1	256^th of 1505 public elementary schools	83.0%	50	87.2	64.6	92.1	53.2	70.8	65.8	92.1	$11,433	$1,395	$10,038
Springmore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	616 McBrayer Homestead Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8235	618	41	15.1	99.5%	445 (72.0%)	77 (12.5%)	63 (10.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	82.2	212^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.8%		77.4	290^th of 1505 public elementary schools	80.7%	78	77.9	81.3	88.4	46.5	67.3	69.8	86.0	$9,568	$1,145	$8,422
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1166 Wyke Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8390	439	30	14.6	99.3%	166 (37.8%)	196 (44.6%)	32 (7.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (9.6%)	68.6	412^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.3%		54.2	680^th of 1505 public elementary schools	54.8%	268	78.7	70.8	66.2	53.3	56.1	55.4	70.3	$10,297	$1,501	$8,795
James Love Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	309 James Love Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8385	376	30	12.3	98.7%	92 (24.5%)	198 (52.7%)	56 (14.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.4%)	20.3	1276^th of 1490 public elementary schools	14.4%		31.1	1080^th of 1505 public elementary schools	28.2%	196	44.2	36.8	37.0	30.8	52.6	34.8	45.7	$12,191	$1,637	$10,553
Ellenboro Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	813 Piney Mountain Church Rd	Ellenboro	28040	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 453-8185	567	30	18.7	97.4%	437 (77.1%)	36 (6.3%)	42 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.2%)	85.7	163^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	89.1%		78.8	263^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	82.5%	100	87.5	75.9	79.8	67.5	70.9	62.9	78.9	$9,921	$1,677	$8,244
Elizabeth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	220 S Post Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8371	649	37	17.7	99.5%	154 (23.7%)	315 (48.5%)	115 (17.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (9.2%)	35.8	985^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.9%		20.3	1279^th of 1505 public elementary schools	15.0%	294	64.4	50.6	45.7	38.2	48.2	38.3	58.0	$9,413	$1,457	$7,956
Boiling Springs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1522 Patrick Avenue	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8361	558	38	14.8	99.5%	389 (69.7%)	82 (14.7%)	42 (7.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.7%)	85.1	172^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	88.5%		76.2	307^th of 1505 public elementary schools	79.6%	135	89.6	85.2	77.7	66.7	76.5	62.8	68.1	$9,229	$1,162	$8,067
Sunshine Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	231 Toney Road	Bostic	28018	Rutherford County	Rutherford County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 245-0658	217	13	16.4	98.6%	197 (90.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)	68	427^th of 1490 public elementary schools	71.3%		74.1	340^th of 1505 public elementary schools	77.4%	87	82.1	48.1	76.0	57.1	51.9	64.0	76.0	$12,481	$1,748	$10,733

Frequently Asked Questions about Union Elementary

What schools do graduates of Union Elementary attend?

Students who attend Union Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Burns Middle
High : Burns High
High : Cleveland ECHS

How many students attend Union Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 413 students attended Union Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Union Elementary?

Students at Union Elementary are 60% White, 23% African American, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

Is Union Elementary a good school?

Union Elementary ranks 613^th of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Union Elementary in?

Cleveland County Schools

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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.