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Jefferson Elementary

Q: Is Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Jefferson Elementary ranks 323 rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

323^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 78% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Jefferson Elementary is a PK-5 public school in Shelby, NC, serving 439 students within Cleveland County Schools. The school serves a student body where 99.3% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, yet it has earned a 4-star state rating and ranks 323rd out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools — the 78th percentile statewide. That places Jefferson well ahead of its district's overall performance and makes it one of the stronger elementary schools in the region.

Among nearby elementary schools, only Springmore Elementary and Boiling Springs Elementary rank higher than Jefferson. Its closest geographic neighbor, Elizabeth Elementary, sits just 1.8 miles away and ranks at the 30th percentile — a dramatic gap. Jefferson outperforms the state average in every tested subject and grade, with the most striking advantages in 3rd-grade math (84.7% proficient vs. 66.4% statewide) and 3rd-grade reading (68.2% vs. 55.6%). The school is also notably effective with student subgroups: special education students perform at the 92nd percentile statewide, and low-income students rank at the 89th percentile — both well above what is typically expected for a school with such high poverty levels.

Jefferson's upward trajectory is remarkable. In 2022-23, the school ranked at the 49th percentile statewide; by 2025-26, it had climbed to the 78th percentile. Chronic absenteeism has consistently stayed below district and state averages, though it ticked upward from 17.1% to 18.9% recently. One area to watch: Jefferson is strongest in 3rd grade and slightly less dominant by 5th grade compared to Springmore and Boiling Springs, suggesting its early-grade supports have been especially effective. Overall, Jefferson is proof that a high-poverty school can deliver strong, above-state results for its students.

439

Students ?

14.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1166 Wyke Road
Shelby, NC 28150-4259

(704) 476-8390

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Shelby Middle
High:	Cleveland ECHS
	Shelby High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

44.6%

White:

37.8%

Two or more races:

9.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Jefferson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 59th percentile in 2016 → 78th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (71% vs 61% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of North Carolina elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 19 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg61%

323^rd of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 19 pts since 2016

From top 41% (2016) to top 22% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary 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	75.0	323 of 1492	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	68.6	412 of 1490	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	54.2	680 of 1505	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.6	759 of 1502	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.4	407 of 1514	73.1%	★★★★☆
2021	70.9	384 of 1489	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	52.8	717 of 1473	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	705 of 1434	50.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	56.7	636 of 1429	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	58.1	586 of 1425	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	61.9	541 of 1440	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.1	427 of 1390	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	71.7	331 of 1403	76.4%	★★★★☆
2012	77.5	253 of 1388	81.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	172 of 903	81.0%	★★★★☆
2025	75.9	142 of 918	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	53.8	377 of 924	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.1	443 of 933	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.2	168 of 927	81.9%	★★★★☆
2021	70.9	142 of 896	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	64.4	262 of 949	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	68.0	223 of 927	75.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	18.3	607 of 634	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	528 of 646	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.9	740 of 878	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.0	351 of 1447	75.7%	★★★★☆
2025	73.0	313 of 1451	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	64.3	466 of 1455	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	763 of 1459	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	67.5	419 of 1458	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	57.9	566 of 1440	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.0	629 of 1424	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.7	898 of 1405	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.4	155 of 743	79.1%	★★★★☆
2025	70.7	76 of 710	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	39.8	580 of 669	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.7	521 of 582	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	50.8	350 of 500	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	80.2	157 of 1434	89.1%	★★★★☆
2025	75.6	221 of 1437	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	55.0	603 of 1450	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.9	601 of 1437	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.2	369 of 1366	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	60.2	419 of 1329	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.4	481 of 1361	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.8	623 of 1332	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	76.7	273 of 1451	81.2%	★★★★☆
2025	59.8	551 of 1450	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.4	882 of 1464	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.1	707 of 1461	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.7	387 of 1464	73.6%	★★★★☆
2021	81.0	220 of 1444	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	49.4	751 of 1430	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.6	556 of 1413	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	81.0	65 of 815	92.0%	★★★★★
2025	52.3	303 of 821	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.0	635 of 801	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.9	127 of 1146	88.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.9	209 of 1172	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	64.0	398 of 1166	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	510 of 1183	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.3	341 of 1194	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	191 of 1172	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	65.3	393 of 1183	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.1	739 of 1178	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)92nd percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)89th percentile+11 vs school

White (2026)89th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)81st percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)81st percentile+3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)79th percentile~ school

Female (2026)76th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2022)4th percentile-69 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science77%+9 vs state

Mathematics76%+13 vs state

Reading64%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson Elementary

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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 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
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%)	75	323^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	78.4%		68.6	412^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.3%	89	84.7	71.4	70.5	68.2	61.0	60.7	77.0	$10,297	$1,501	$8,795
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%)	32.4	1050^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.6%		35.8	985^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.9%	65	52.9	62.5	55.6	31.8	55.0	42.0	56.8	$9,413	$1,457	$7,956
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%)	35.3	996^th of 1492 public elementary schools	33.2%		20.3	1276^th of 1490 public elementary schools	14.4%	280	49.2	61.1	54.9	36.5	48.1	52.9	66.7	$12,191	$1,637	$10,553
Washington Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1907 Stony Point Road	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8260	376	26	14.3	97.9%	206 (54.8%)	62 (16.5%)	70 (18.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (9.6%)	48	767^th of 1492 public elementary schools	48.6%		39.7	923^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	38.1%	156	73.2	61.3	55.4	60.7	56.5	41.5	61.5	$9,971	$1,530	$8,441
Township Three Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	526 Davis Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8245	540	35	15.2	99.4%	218 (40.4%)	191 (35.4%)	65 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (12.2%)	28	1137^th of 1492 public elementary schools	23.8%		25	1186^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.4%	49	58.1	51.9	40.6	45.9	50.6	39.1	55.1	$9,675	$1,374	$8,301
Bethware Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	115 Bethware Drive	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8346	548	38	14.4	99.5%	337 (61.5%)	110 (20.1%)	58 (10.6%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	35 (6.4%)	69.4	428^th of 1492 public elementary schools	71.3%		79.5	252^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	83.1%	176	75.5	70.7		59.4	62.9			$9,644	$1,089	$8,555
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%)	48.5	760^th of 1492 public elementary schools	49.1%		56.9	613^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.9%	147	63.8	68.4	75.3	46.4	50.9	43.8	64.4	$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%)	66.3	483^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	67.6%		54	670^th of 1490 public elementary schools	55.0%	187	78.7	64.8	71.2	62.3	62.6	46.6	82.2	$9,874	$1,550	$8,324
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%)	81.4	224^th of 1492 public elementary schools	85.0%		82.2	212^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.8%	12	80.2	76.6	86.1	62.0	66.0	65.2	88.7	$9,568	$1,145	$8,422
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%)	79.1	252^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	83.1%		85.1	172^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	88.5%	80	80.0	80.2	84.4	55.8	71.9	60.0	85.6	$9,229	$1,162	$8,067

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Elementary?

Students at Jefferson Elementary are 45% African American, 38% White, 10% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What district is Jefferson Elementary in?

Cleveland County Schools

Is Jefferson Elementary a good school?

Jefferson Elementary ranks 323^rd of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Jefferson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Jefferson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Shelby Middle
High : Cleveland ECHS
High : Shelby High

How many students attend Jefferson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 439 students attended Jefferson Elementary.

Rate Jefferson Elementary!

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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.