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Cleveland Innovation

Q: Is Cleveland Innovation a good school?

Cleveland Innovation ranks 179 th of 773 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

179^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Alternative Schools

Better than 77% of North Carolina alternative schools

Summary

Cleveland Innovation is an alternative public virtual school serving grades K-12 in Shelby, North Carolina, with 164 students. It is part of the Cleveland County Schools district, which is ranked 97 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cleveland Innovation has shown strong academic performance, with 4-year graduation rates ranging from 72.2% to 87.7% over the past few years, notably higher than the district and state averages. The school's students also outperform the district and state in several key subject areas, including mathematics, reading, and science. However, Cleveland Innovation has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 52.2% to 57.32% over the past few years, suggesting it serves a more economically disadvantaged population compared to the district.

When compared to nearby alternative schools, Cleveland Innovation stands out for its consistent academic performance and lower student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.5 to 12.5 over the past few years. In contrast, Webb Street School and North Shelby have even higher percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, while Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and Pinnacle Classical Academy generally outperform Cleveland Innovation on test scores but have higher student-teacher ratios.

187

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

56.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 W Marion St
Shelby, NC 28150

(704) 476-8163

District: Cleveland County Schools

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.3%

African American:

15.0%

Two or more races:

9.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Cleveland Innovation to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2022 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranks in the top 23% of North Carolina alternative schools

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (72% vs 88%)

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

!Biology scores 35 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg54%

Middle school

179^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 23%▲ up 32 pts since 2022

From bottom 45% (2022) to top 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

516^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 43 pts since 2021

From top 37% (2021) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	44.3	861 of 1502	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.8	1256 of 1514	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	38.9	905 of 1458	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	13.2	1352 of 1464	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	6.4	1175 of 1194	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.4	179 of 773	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	58.8	297 of 793	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.6	264 of 784	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	434 of 786	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	73.1	173 of 733	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.3	195 of 738	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	63.0	243 of 731	66.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	80.4	79 of 729	89.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	149 of 743	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	125 of 735	83.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.5	604 of 748	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	59.6	244 of 649	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	244 of 652	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.8	302 of 656	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	376 of 658	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	516 of 641	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	418 of 640	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.3	332 of 626	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.4	231 of 621	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.2	222 of 594	62.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	557 of 610	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	36.0	387 of 602	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.3	315 of 588	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.3	324 of 594	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	410 of 606	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.4	405 of 613	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.0	155 of 597	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	53.4	203 of 544	62.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	503 of 542	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	497 of 553	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.9	376 of 537	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	57.4	220 of 534	58.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2022)38th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2022)8th percentile-9 vs school

White (2022)2nd percentile-15 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile~ school

White (2025)62nd percentile-14 vs school

Male (2022)19th percentile-26 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+13 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile-11 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Reading74%+21 vs state

Science71%+11 vs state

English II62%~ state avg

Mathematics58%+5 vs state

Math III36%-31 vs state

Math I22%-12 vs state

Biology14%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Cleveland Innovation

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th 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
Cleveland Innovation	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	400 W Marion St	Shelby	28150	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	Yes	No	(704) 476-8163	187	13	14.2	56.7%	124 (66.3%)	28 (15.0%)	16 (8.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.6%)								(n/a)	13.6	61.9	22.2	35.7				69.2	31.6	76.2				76.9	57.9	85.7		71.4
North Shelby	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1701 Charles Road	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8230	76	13	5.6	96.1%	43 (56.6%)	18 (23.7%)	8 (10.5%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	5 (6.6%)								(n/a)																			$33,367	$4,866	$28,501
Pinnacle Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2401 Joes Lake Rd	Shelby	28152	Cleveland County	Pinnacle Classical Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 740-4040	1,178	42	27.7		848 (72.0%)	122 (10.4%)	86 (7.3%)	27 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	95 (8.1%)								(n/a)	50.5	82.4		68.5	68.0	64.4	59.6	78.6	55.1	58.9	60.8	63.3	52.5	72.4	71.9	74.7	45.5	77.9
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2527 US 221A Hwy	Mooresboro	28114	Rutherford County	Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(828) 657-9998	1,330	62	21.4		907 (68.2%)	111 (8.3%)	150 (11.3%)	35 (2.6%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	124 (9.3%)								(n/a)	68.5	80.9	13.6	88.5	73.9	77.6	87.7	81.3	83.3	71.7	57.4	87.8	73.6	68.9	80.4	77.0	76.4	87.5
Webb Street School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1623 N Webb Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 864-9667	163	20	8.2	98.2%	80 (49.1%)	43 (26.4%)	28 (17.2%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.1%)								(n/a)																			$31,277	$3,221	$28,057

Frequently Asked Questions about Cleveland Innovation

How many students attend Cleveland Innovation?

In the 2024-25 school year, 187 students attended Cleveland Innovation.

Is Cleveland Innovation a good school?

Cleveland Innovation ranks 179^th of 773 North Carolina alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cleveland Innovation?

Students at Cleveland Innovation are 66% White, 15% African American, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic.

What district is Cleveland Innovation in?

Cleveland County Schools

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NCNorth Carolina Alternative School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Shelby, NC

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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.