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Kings Mountain High

Q: Is Kings Mountain High a good school?

Kings Mountain High ranks 251 st of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

251^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 62% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Kings Mountain High is a comprehensive public high school in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, serving 1,305 students in grades 9–12 as part of Cleveland County Schools. It ranks in the 62nd percentile statewide with a 3-star rating, placing it in the upper-middle tier of North Carolina high schools and making it one of the strongest traditional high schools in the greater Gaston-Cleveland county area.

The school’s clearest academic strength is mathematics. Math III proficiency stands at 82.3%—far above the state average of 68.9% and the highest among nearby traditional high schools, including Cherryville High (67.3%) and North Gaston High (59.2%). This reflects a sustained upward trend over three years, not a one-year spike. Kings Mountain also posts stronger outcomes for historically underserved students when compared to statewide norms. English Language Learner students ranked in the 92nd percentile in 2025-26, a dramatic turnaround from the 5th percentile just two years earlier. African American, Hispanic, and multiracial students all rank in the 75th–77th percentile ranges, suggesting the school’s strategies are particularly effective at narrowing achievement gaps.

Attendance and graduation rates further distinguish Kings Mountain. Chronic absenteeism is 22.5%, notably lower than Hunter Huss High (36.0%), Shelby High (33.2%), and Bessemer City High (39.5%). The five-year graduation rate is 89.5%, above both the district and state averages. Given that nearly 99% of students qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, these outcomes are highly notable. While specialized early-college and magnet schools like Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences and Highland School of Technology rank even higher, they serve smaller, select student bodies. Among large neighborhood high schools, Kings Mountain is clearly a relative success story with positive momentum.

1,305

Students ?

18.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,036

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

500 Phifer Road
Kings Mountain, NC 28086-1489

(704) 476-8330

District: Cleveland County Schools

Feeder schools for Kings Mountain High:

Elementary:	Bethware Elementary
	East Elementary
	Grover Elementary
	North Elementary
	More...
	West Elementary
Middle:	Kings Mountain Intermediate
	Kings Mountain Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

59.1%

African American:

22.8%

Hispanic:

9.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Kings Mountain High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 47th percentile in 2023 → 62nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (67% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 62nd (2026) from a 47th-percentile low (2023)

✓Above the North Carolina median (62nd percentile)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school67%

District avg65%

North Carolina avg60%

251^st of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 38%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From top 27% (2016) to top 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5High Schools in the Cleveland County Schools

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	60.4	251 of 662	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	52.3	278 of 641	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	291 of 640	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.6	330 of 626	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.3	223 of 621	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.7	185 of 594	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.9	137 of 514	73.3%	★★★★☆
2018	61.3	143 of 469	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	63.6	116 of 476	75.6%	★★★★☆
2016	54.3	139 of 507	72.6%	★★★★☆
2015	61.3	113 of 531	78.7%	★★★★☆
2014	58.4	121 of 451	73.2%	★★★★☆
2013	55.3	107 of 505	78.8%	★★★★☆
2012	65.7	99 of 502	80.3%	★★★★☆
2011	74.3	58 of 506	88.5%	★★★★☆
2010	65.5	126 of 499	74.7%	★★★★☆
2009	68.5	85 of 490	82.7%	★★★★☆
2008	68.0	82 of 477	82.8%	★★★★☆
2007	73.8	51 of 453	88.7%	★★★★☆
2006	60.6	150 of 431	65.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.0	113 of 450	74.9%	★★★★☆
2025	51.9	163 of 440	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.7	207 of 437	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.9	171 of 434	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.3	84 of 430	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	69.1	45 of 364	87.6%	★★★★☆
2019	63.3	63 of 369	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.3	65 of 359	81.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	55.0	96 of 330	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	41.3	169 of 334	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.4	164 of 364	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.9	287 of 349	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	84.5	22 of 289	92.4%	★★★★★
2025	43.4	135 of 273	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	20.5	250 of 262	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.2	227 of 629	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.2	266 of 610	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.8	278 of 602	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.7	328 of 588	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.6	191 of 594	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.5	121 of 475	74.5%	★★★★☆
2019	61.0	131 of 475	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	59.6	164 of 449	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.6	134 of 407	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.1	331 of 412	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	66.2	144 of 403	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	237 of 403	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	66.1	143 of 398	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.8	48 of 337	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	36.1	252 of 325	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.0	107 of 474	77.4%	★★★★☆
2025	57.8	150 of 462	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.4	115 of 454	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	91 of 449	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	52.1	167 of 436	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.7	32 of 370	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	48.7	123 of 354	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	191 of 620	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.1	218 of 606	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	230 of 613	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	270 of 597	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.8	141 of 544	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	69.1	36 of 432	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	61.0	75 of 446	83.2%	★★★★☆
2018	56.3	116 of 424	72.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	255 of 624	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.8	283 of 601	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	295 of 607	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.8	318 of 602	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.8	221 of 585	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.2	105 of 481	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	60.6	129 of 488	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	59.9	148 of 463	68.0%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	68.3	62 of 265	76.6%	★★★★☆
2025	73.5	52 of 253	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	68.3	67 of 261	74.3%	★★★★☆
2023	50.5	112 of 249	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.7	52 of 226	77.0%	★★★★☆
2021	54.2	83 of 199	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.8	94 of 195	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.8	114 of 185	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	154 of 372	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.0	242 of 352	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	126 of 349	63.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	290 of 551	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.2	309 of 542	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	326 of 553	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.6	390 of 537	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	53.6	247 of 534	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.3	145 of 439	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.7	159 of 444	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.5	215 of 427	49.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)92nd percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)77th percentile+15 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)77th percentile+15 vs school

African American (2026)75th percentile+13 vs school

Disabled (2022)71st percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+7 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)67th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile~ school

Male (2026)59th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)59th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)47th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III82%+13 vs state

Math I64%+22 vs state

English II61%-3 vs state

Biology60%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, April 11, 2015

This school does a great job with the students and resources it has. Close Quote

Schools Near Kings Mountain High

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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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kings Mountain High	Public	9-12	500 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8330	1,305	72	18.1	—	771 (59.1%)	297 (22.8%)	119 (9.1%)	17 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	98 (7.5%)	60.4	251^st of 662 public high schools	62.1%		52.3	278^th of 641 public high schools	56.6%	27	60.5	61.3	63.8	82.3						$9,036	$654	$8,382
Bessemer City High	Public	9-12	119 Yellow Jacket Lane	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9601	590	32	18.5	—	259 (43.9%)	148 (25.1%)	144 (24.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.9%)	15.7	580^th of 662 public high schools	12.4%		15.9	554^th of 641 public high schools	13.6%	26	33.7	41.8	26.6	45.6						$9,616	$754	$8,862
Cleveland ECHS	Public	9-12	1800 E Marion St	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8232	225	11	20.2	—	128 (56.9%)	35 (15.6%)	45 (20.0%)	5 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.3%)	91.9	55^th of 662 public high schools	91.7%		90.8	69^th of 641 public high schools	89.2%	14	94.3	96.2	91.4	94.9						$7,781	$522	$7,258
Hunter Huss High	Public	9-12	1518 Edgefield Avenue	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 866-6610	1,165	62	18.9	—	214 (18.4%)	488 (41.9%)	403 (34.6%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (4.3%)	12.8	593^rd of 662 public high schools	10.4%		15.1	560^th of 641 public high schools	12.6%	33	29.9	30.0	36.4	27.1						$9,702	$791	$8,910
Shelby High	Public	9-12	230 E Dixon Boulevard	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8325	792	51	15.4	—	231 (29.2%)	417 (52.7%)	79 (10.0%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (6.8%)	31.7	467^th of 662 public high schools	29.5%		15.5	557^th of 641 public high schools	13.1%	90	52.4	54.0	31.0	57.9						$9,492	$690	$8,802
Highland School of Technology	Public, Magnet	9-12	1600 N Morris Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(704) 810-8816	538	39	13.8	34.0%	327 (60.8%)	81 (15.1%)	75 (13.9%)	31 (5.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	95.2	5^th of 662 public high schools	99.2%		96.9	3^rd of 641 public high schools	99.5%	2	100.0	100.0	562.1	566.5						$10,033	$715	$9,318
Turning Point Academy	Public	6-12	409 West Sumter Street	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8399	142	12	11.8	97.9%	65 (45.8%)	59 (41.5%)	7 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (7.7%)	0.4	662^nd of 662 public high schools	0.0%					(n/a)	339.0	10.3	537.0	5.4	10.0	7.7	20.0	15.4	15.4	$21,288	$1,682	$19,606
Cherryville High	Public	9-12	313 Ridge Avenue	Cherryville	28021	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9605	484	33	14.6	—	349 (72.1%)	56 (11.6%)	60 (12.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.1%)	52.2	318^th of 662 public high schools	52.0%		46	330^th of 641 public high schools	48.5%	12	56.2	59.3	65.7	67.3						$10,928	$967	$9,961
Gaston Early College High School	Public	9-12	201 Hwy 321 South	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 922-2405	235	11	21.8	42.6%	131 (55.7%)	32 (13.6%)	48 (20.4%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.2%)	96	2^nd of 662 public high schools	99.7%		95.4	19^th of 641 public high schools	97.0%	17	100.0	100.0	100.0	564.7						$7,351	$466	$6,886
Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences	Public	9-12	300 Rhodes Perimeter Drive	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 923-8480	174	8	21.8	54.6%	88 (50.6%)	33 (19.0%)	31 (17.8%)	10 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.9%)	94.9	7^th of 662 public high schools	98.9%		96.4	5^th of 641 public high schools	99.2%	2	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Kings Mountain High

How many students attend Kings Mountain High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,305 students attended Kings Mountain High.

What district is Kings Mountain High in?

Cleveland County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Kings Mountain High?

Students at Kings Mountain High are 59% White, 23% African American, 9% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Kings Mountain High a good school?

Kings Mountain High ranks 251^st of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Kings Mountain High?

Kings Mountain High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Bethware Elementary
Elementary : East Elementary
Elementary : Grover Elementary
Elementary : North Elementary
Elementary : West Elementary
Middle : Kings Mountain Intermediate
Middle : Kings Mountain Middle

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2025–26 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 attendance dataSep 2, 2026

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.