Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Shelby Middle

Q: Is Shelby Middle a good school?

Shelby Middle ranks 538 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

538^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 31% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Shelby Middle, in Shelby, North Carolina, serves about 588 students in grades 6–8 as part of Cleveland County Schools, but its statewide ranking now trails most of its regional peers. In 2025–2026, Shelby Middle ranked 538th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 31st percentile and a 2-star SchoolDigger rating — continuing a downward slide from 2018–2019, when the school ranked in the 67th percentile and earned 3 stars. Nearby same-district schools post far stronger results: Crest Middle, Burns Middle, and Kings Mountain Middle all rank in the 52nd–67th percentile range, making Shelby Middle a clear outlier among its Cleveland County neighbors.

Reading proficiency at Shelby Middle falls below district and state averages in every grade, with the widest gap in 7th grade: just 40.7% are proficient compared with 56.3% statewide, while Crest Middle reaches 60.3%. Math results are split. Only 38.4% of 7th graders are proficient, far behind Crest Middle (63.4%) and Burns Middle (62.2%), yet 8th-grade math proficiency is 58.9% — above both the district's 54.2% and the state's 53.0%. Science is a major concern: just 48.6% of 8th graders are proficient versus 68.6% statewide, a sharp drop from roughly 67% two years earlier.

Attendance and spending also stand out. Chronic absenteeism affects 29.1% of Shelby Middle students, above the state's 24.2%, and the school spent about $11,218 per student in the most recent comparable year — meaningfully more than the roughly $8,400–$9,100 spent by Crest Middle, Burns Middle, and Kings Mountain Middle. Nearly all students (99.49%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, similar to neighboring schools, so poverty alone does not explain the gap. Subgroup results suggest specific areas for attention: the special education subgroup fell to the 5th percentile in 2025–2026 from the 58th percentile the year before, while Hispanic students and English learners perform near the 50th percentile. The strong 8th-grade math results and these subgroup bright spots show that improvement is achievable at Shelby Middle — but reversing the broader trend will require sustained work on attendance, reading, science, and support for vulnerable learners.

588

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1480 South Dekalb Street
Shelby, NC 28152

(704) 476-8328

District: Cleveland County Schools

Students who attend Shelby Middle usually attend:

High:	Cleveland ECHS
	Shelby High

Feeder schools for Shelby Middle:

Elementary:	Elizabeth Elementary
	James Love Elementary
	Jefferson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

49.8%

White:

30.3%

Hispanic:

12.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Shelby Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2016 → 31st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

538^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 46% (2016) to bottom 31% (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	32.0	538 of 778	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.6	488 of 773	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.9	570 of 793	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	561 of 784	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.3	482 of 786	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.0	519 of 741	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.7	242 of 737	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.6	286 of 691	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	37.5	458 of 694	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	47.5	375 of 692	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	33.0	493 of 705	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.5	366 of 627	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.9	362 of 673	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.6	420 of 662	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	37.2	465 of 648	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	49.2	395 of 640	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.4	314 of 630	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.2	328 of 620	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.5	303 of 606	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.5	364 of 598	39.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	340 of 553	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	271 of 546	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.6	354 of 560	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	316 of 559	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.9	242 of 550	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.2	373 of 533	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	75.0	75 of 519	85.5%	★★★★☆
2018	68.2	96 of 494	80.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	16.4	470 of 478	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	60.3	128 of 504	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	65.0	78 of 475	83.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	176 of 363	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.4	470 of 731	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.2	425 of 733	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.5	564 of 738	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	569 of 731	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.6	440 of 733	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	492 of 706	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.5	271 of 684	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.7	325 of 656	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	338 of 465	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	56.9	248 of 458	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.8	310 of 461	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.6	315 of 452	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	380 of 450	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.2	321 of 448	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	70.0	73 of 416	82.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	285 of 566	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.4	189 of 562	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.5	382 of 564	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	269 of 553	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.8	102 of 541	81.1%	★★★★☆
2021	53.9	204 of 522	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.3	102 of 493	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	68.8	98 of 472	79.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.8	488 of 725	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.5	393 of 729	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	496 of 743	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.3	432 of 735	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.0	354 of 689	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.7	402 of 633	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	65.2	172 of 639	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	61.1	205 of 604	66.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.2	566 of 736	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.6	513 of 733	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.9	551 of 751	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	520 of 747	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.4	477 of 748	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	517 of 711	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	68.1	204 of 697	70.7%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	234 of 665	64.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	306 of 333	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	281 of 328	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.3	237 of 306	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	267 of 302	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.6	220 of 283	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.6	189 of 248	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.0	474 of 500	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	44.2	203 of 478	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.5	292 of 473	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	408 of 644	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.6	340 of 649	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.2	439 of 652	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.3	453 of 656	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.1	344 of 658	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.4	337 of 632	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	69.8	173 of 624	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.4	131 of 596	78.0%	★★★★☆

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)52nd percentile+21 vs school

Hispanic (2026)50th percentile+19 vs school

African American (2026)39th percentile+8 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)36th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2026)27th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)8th percentile-23 vs school

Special Education (2026)5th percentile-26 vs school

Disabled (2021)2nd percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics49%-7 vs state

Science49%-20 vs state

Reading45%-10 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Shelby Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Shelby Middle

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Shelby Middle

Load more schools when map is moved

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Shelby Middle

What high school do graduates of Shelby Middle attend?

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

What district is Shelby Middle in?

Cleveland County Schools

How many students attend Shelby Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 588 students attended Shelby Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Shelby Middle?

Students at Shelby Middle are 50% African American, 30% White, 13% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Is Shelby Middle a good school?

Shelby Middle ranks 538^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Shelby Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Shelby, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Shelby Middle!

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.