Cleveland Innovation

Cleveland Innovation is a small, alternative public school in Shelby, NC, serving grades K-12 with 187 students in the Cleveland County Schools district, which holds a solid 3-star rating statewide. Compared to nearby alternative schools, Cleveland Innovation stands out as a very different type of program. While North Shelby and Webb Street School serve far more economically disadvantaged populations (over 96% free/reduced lunch vs. about 57% here) and have much smaller student-teacher ratios, Cleveland Innovation enrolls a broader, less restrictive group of students. This may help explain why its chronic absenteeism rate was just 7.2% (when last reported) versus 40% at North Shelby and 35.5% at Webb Street—a striking difference that points to a stronger attendance culture.

Academically, Cleveland Innovation posts some genuinely impressive results. In middle school reading, 8th graders scored 85.7% proficient in the latest year, far above the district's 57.8% and state's 54.2%. High school End-of-Course exams are even more notable: Biology proficiency hit 90%, English II reached 81.8%, and Math III climbed to 87.5%—all comfortably exceeding state averages and competitive with nearby high-performing charters like Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and Pinnacle Classical Academy. For example, Cleveland Innovation beat Thomas Jefferson in Biology (90% vs. 85.3%) and Math III (87.5% vs. 76.2%). Even in English II, it nearly matched Thomas Jefferson (81.8% vs. 83.3%). The one clear weak spot is Math I, where only 35.7% proved proficient—but interestingly, both nearby charters scored just 16.7%, suggesting this exam challenges students across all school types.

However, the biggest concern is the graduation rate, which has fallen sharply from 89.5% in 2022-2023 to 68.8% in the latest year—about 20 points below the district and state rates. Because the school is so small, single-year swings are enormous; for instance, Biology scores jumped from 13.6% to 90% in one year, and 8th grade math dropped from 76.2% to 42.9%. That volatility means parents should look at multi-year trends rather than overreacting to any one year. Still, the contrast between excellent test scores and a declining graduation rate suggests that while students who stay on track often perform very well, keeping every student through to graduation remains a real challenge at this alternative school.