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Cleveland Middle

Q: Is Cleveland Middle a good school?

Cleveland Middle ranks 220 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

220^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 72% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Cleveland Middle is a large public middle school in Garner, NC, serving 936 students in grades 6–8 within Johnston County Public Schools. Despite serving a student population where nearly all students qualify for free/reduced lunch, Cleveland stands out as one of the strongest traditional middle schools in its local area, ranking in the 72nd percentile of North Carolina middle schools with a 4-star rating — an improvement over the previous year and well above most nearby schools. Only The Innovation Academy at South Campus and McGee's Crossroads Middle rank higher locally, while other nearby Johnston County schools like Smithfield Middle and Benson Middle trail significantly.

Cleveland's signature strength is its 8th-grade performance, especially in math and science. In 2025–2026, 68.9% of 8th graders were proficient in math, compared to 53.0% statewide and just 29.9% at Smithfield Middle; 8th-grade science proficiency reached 77.7%, far exceeding the state average. This pattern has held for multiple years, making it unusual for a high-poverty school where scores often decline by 8th grade. Cleveland also performs well for historically underserved student groups, with strong percentile rankings for African American, special education, English learner, and low-income students compared to the same groups statewide. Meanwhile, 6th-grade math remains closer to district and state averages, and 7th-grade math has shown some year-to-year variability — a sign that the school's success may depend on strengthening the earlier middle-school years.

Attendance is another differentiator: Cleveland's chronic absenteeism rate of 18.6% is well below the district average of 21.8% and the state average of 24.2%, and far lower than neighbors like North Garner Middle (31.0%) and East Garner Middle (34.8%) in Wake County Schools. Cleveland accomplishes these results while spending less per student (~$7,527) and carrying a higher student-teacher ratio (18.4:1) than nearly every comparison school. While Swift Creek Middle, Riverwood Middle, and other nearby schools spend more and have smaller class sizes, none match Cleveland's outcomes — suggesting effective school-level practices and climate make a real difference.

936

Students ?

18.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

2323 Cornwallis Road
Garner, NC 27529-8019

(919) 553-7500

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Students who attend Cleveland Middle usually attend:

High:

Cleveland High

Feeder schools for Cleveland Middle:

Elementary:

West View Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.9%

African American:

23.0%

Hispanic:

20.6%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Cleveland Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2016 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (65% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

District avg60%

North Carolina avg58%

220^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 19 pts since 2016

From top 10% (2016) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

98^th of 246Johnston County Public 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	68.1	220 of 778	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	66.0	242 of 773	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.0	188 of 793	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	153 of 784	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	83.6	110 of 786	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	76.0	164 of 741	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	70.0	199 of 737	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	166 of 691	76.0%	★★★★☆
2017	83.5	84 of 694	87.9%	★★★★☆
2016	85.9	66 of 692	90.5%	★★★★★
2015	90.9	43 of 705	93.9%	★★★★★
2014	87.3	58 of 627	90.7%	★★★★★
2013	84.9	77 of 673	88.6%	★★★★☆
2012	81.9	69 of 662	89.6%	★★★★☆
2011	84.3	41 of 648	93.7%	★★★★★
2010	83.6	48 of 640	92.5%	★★★★★
2009	85.3	42 of 630	93.3%	★★★★★
2008	86.6	43 of 620	93.1%	★★★★★
2007	75.4	106 of 606	82.5%	★★★★☆
2006	78.7	77 of 598	87.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	71.4	113 of 553	79.6%	★★★★☆
2025	70.8	110 of 546	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	77.4	87 of 560	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	75.9	88 of 559	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	72.9	92 of 550	83.3%	★★★★☆
2021	75.8	72 of 533	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	54.9	183 of 519	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	177 of 494	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.3	65 of 121	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	66.2	73 of 449	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	38.5	294 of 478	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	80.8	41 of 504	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	70.5	62 of 475	86.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.7	64 of 363	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	52.9	117 of 371	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	216 of 356	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.6	58 of 318	81.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.7	27 of 312	91.3%	★★★★★
2021	62.2	35 of 236	85.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	227 of 731	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.8	241 of 733	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.2	177 of 738	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	75.8	150 of 731	79.5%	★★★★☆
2022	80.6	127 of 733	82.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.3	152 of 706	78.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	226 of 684	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.8	165 of 656	74.8%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.1	92 of 465	80.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.5	125 of 458	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	33 of 461	92.8%	★★★★★
2023	67.4	126 of 452	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	72.3	49 of 450	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	142 of 448	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.4	198 of 416	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	187 of 566	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.9	231 of 562	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.8	172 of 564	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.7	115 of 553	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	80.3	58 of 541	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	62.8	142 of 522	72.8%	★★★★☆
2019	51.4	222 of 493	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.2	170 of 472	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.7	195 of 725	73.1%	★★★★☆
2025	54.4	286 of 729	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	255 of 743	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.5	148 of 735	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	67.3	151 of 689	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	56.7	221 of 633	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.0	353 of 639	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.6	317 of 604	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.0	202 of 736	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	67.0	211 of 733	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.0	190 of 751	74.7%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	141 of 747	81.1%	★★★★☆
2022	84.7	91 of 748	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	75.0	160 of 711	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.5	170 of 697	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	72.2	164 of 665	75.3%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.7	36 of 64	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	90 of 333	73.0%	★★★★☆
2025	62.6	107 of 328	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	106 of 306	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.5	102 of 302	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	72.7	47 of 283	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	53.9	95 of 248	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.2	167 of 221	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.1	73 of 500	85.4%	★★★★☆
2025	62.0	95 of 478	80.1%	★★★★☆
2024	62.7	94 of 473	80.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.6	215 of 644	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.5	208 of 649	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.7	153 of 652	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	119 of 656	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	83.9	87 of 658	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	73.4	142 of 632	77.5%	★★★★☆
2019	65.4	206 of 624	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.8	157 of 596	73.7%	★★★★☆

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)85th percentile+14 vs school

Disabled (2022)84th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)82nd percentile+11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)80th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2026)80th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)73rd percentile~ school

Female (2026)69th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)67th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)67th percentile-5 vs school

Asian (2026)46th percentile-25 vs school

Military Connected (2025)44th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science78%+9 vs state

Mathematics63%+7 vs state

Reading62%+7 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

This is a Great manage school! All the teachers are great!! Transferred my child to this school from Smithfield middle. Smithfield middle is a poorly run school. Close Quote

Schools Near Cleveland Middle

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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/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	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th 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
Cleveland Middle	Public	6-8	2323 Cornwallis Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7500	936	51	18.4	—	439 (46.9%)	215 (23.0%)	193 (20.6%)	26 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (6.5%)	68.1	220^th of 778 public middle schools	71.7%		66	242^nd of 773 public middle schools	68.7%	22	59.8	59.1	68.9	59.8	63.9	63.7	77.7	$7,527	$410	$7,117
Swift Creek Middle	Public	6-8	325 Norris Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 262-0750	691	45	15.5	—	334 (48.3%)	101 (14.6%)	215 (31.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.2%)	60.1	297^th of 778 public middle schools	61.8%		56	316^th of 773 public middle schools	59.1%	19	66.7	66.5	58.7	55.1	58.7	55.6	65.9	$8,637	$480	$8,156
McGee's Crossroads Middle	Public	6-8	13353 NC Highway 210	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-6003	757	42	18.0	—	388 (51.3%)	93 (12.3%)	229 (30.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	70.4	205^th of 778 public middle schools	73.7%		63.4	258^th of 773 public middle schools	66.6%	53	66.1	61.6	62.6	62.9	61.2	68.5	78.4	$8,319	$639	$7,679
Clayton Middle	Public	6-8	490 Guy Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-5811	609	38	16.0	96.2%	169 (27.8%)	170 (27.9%)	221 (36.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (7.1%)	49.1	405^th of 778 public middle schools	47.9%		48.6	395^th of 773 public middle schools	48.9%	10	55.4	50.0	45.3	51.9	56.8	58.5	70.3	$9,361	$587	$8,774
East Garner Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	6301 Jones Sausage Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 662-2339	1,109	71	15.6	—	148 (13.3%)	514 (46.3%)	355 (32.0%)	51 (4.6%)	4 (0.4%)	3 (0.3%)	34 (3.1%)	28.5	575^th of 778 public middle schools	26.1%		34.1	516^th of 773 public middle schools	33.2%	59	47.8	40.5	39.3	45.5	46.9	42.2	57.4	$8,808	$540	$8,269
North Garner Middle	Public	6-8	720 Powell Dr	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 662-2434	831	54	15.5	—	248 (29.8%)	265 (31.9%)	267 (32.1%)	14 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (4.5%)	28.8	569^th of 778 public middle schools	26.9%		28.6	560^th of 773 public middle schools	27.6%	9	44.6	43.5	37.5	46.5	44.9	41.6	61.7	$9,338	$475	$8,863
Riverwood Middle	Public	6-8	204 Athletic Club Blvd	Clayton	27527	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 359-2769	902	53	16.9	—	393 (43.6%)	248 (27.5%)	182 (20.2%)	16 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (6.7%)	54.9	352^nd of 778 public middle schools	54.8%		60.7	277^th of 773 public middle schools	64.2%	75	64.6	55.8	41.5	57.6	57.4	57.1	71.6	$7,553	$421	$7,132
Four Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	1475 Boyette Road	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 963-4022	477	31	15.3	—	235 (49.3%)	66 (13.8%)	152 (31.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	60.6	292^nd of 778 public middle schools	62.5%		61.6	270^th of 773 public middle schools	65.1%	22	61.7	50.0	71.8	52.5	47.0	64.4	84.6	$9,812	$944	$8,868
Smithfield Middle	Public	6-8	1455 Buffalo Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-4696	573	44	13.1	—	52 (9.1%)	176 (30.7%)	316 (55.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (4.4%)	18.8	660^th of 778 public middle schools	15.2%		18	659^th of 773 public middle schools	14.7%	1	44.6	33.6	29.9	43.3	41.3	38.9	46.9	$10,489	$1,415	$9,074
The Innovation Academy at South Campus	Public	6-8	521 Martin Luther King Dr	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-6481	263	18	14.4	—	134 (51.0%)	41 (15.6%)	68 (25.9%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.5%)	93.3	39^th of 778 public middle schools	95.0%		94.6	37^th of 773 public middle schools	95.2%	2	82.8	93.5	72.5	83.9	90.2	84.6	86.8	$8,168	$360	$7,808

Frequently Asked Questions about Cleveland Middle

Is Cleveland Middle a good school?

Cleveland Middle ranks 220^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Cleveland Middle?

Students at Cleveland Middle are 47% White, 23% African American, 21% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

How many students attend Cleveland Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 936 students attended Cleveland Middle.

What district is Cleveland Middle in?

Johnston County Public Schools

What high school do graduates of Cleveland Middle attend?

Students who attend Cleveland Middle usually go on to attend Cleveland High

Rate Cleveland Middle!

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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.