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Cleveland High

Q: Is Cleveland High a good school?

Cleveland High ranks 277 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

277^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 57% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Cleveland High is a public high school located in Clayton, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,896 students. It is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 94 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cleveland High has consistently maintained a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 86.5% in 2022-2023 to 92.5% in 2024-2025, which is higher than the district and state averages. The school also outperforms the district and state in several End-of-Course (EOC) exams, particularly in English II and Math III. For example, in 2024-2025, 62% of Cleveland High students were proficient or better in EOC English II, compared to 61% for the district and 59.6% for the state. In EOC Math III, Cleveland High had a 69.1% proficiency rate in 2024-2025, higher than the district's 62.3% and the state's 66.4%. Additionally, Cleveland High performs well across various student subgroups, with its African American, Hispanic, and Multi-racial students ranking higher than the state averages in many cases.

Compared to nearby schools, South Johnston High and Smithfield-Selma High, Cleveland High outperforms them in several academic metrics, including graduation rates and EOC test scores. However, the nearby Johnston County Early College Academy and Johnston County Schools Career Technical stand out as exceptional performers, ranking among the top 25 high schools in the state. Cleveland High has maintained a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, despite some fluctuations in its statewide ranking.

1,889

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,646

Per pupil spending ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1892 Polenta Rd
Clayton, NC 27520

(919) 934-2455

District: Johnston County Public Schools

Feeder schools for Cleveland High:

Elementary:	Cleveland Elementary
	Polenta Elementary
Middle:	Cleveland Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.4%

Hispanic:

24.6%

African American:

19.5%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Cleveland High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 86th percentile in 2015 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 29 percentile points since 2015

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg53%

North Carolina avg53%

277^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 43%▼ down 29 pts since 2015

From top 14% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 10High Schools in the Johnston County Public Schools

94^th of 242Johnston 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
2025	52.4	277 of 641	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	300 of 640	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	273 of 626	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.1	285 of 621	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	260 of 594	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.3	174 of 514	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.9	180 of 469	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	71.6	74 of 476	84.5%	★★★★☆
2016	58.6	112 of 507	77.9%	★★★★☆
2015	70.9	74 of 531	86.1%	★★★★☆
2014	65.6	89 of 451	80.3%	★★★★☆
2013	44.5	188 of 505	62.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	161 of 440	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.2	155 of 437	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.4	218 of 434	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.7	178 of 430	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.5	138 of 364	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.6	99 of 369	73.2%	★★★★☆
2018	43.9	167 of 359	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	45.3	136 of 330	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	161 of 334	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.3	272 of 364	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.2	167 of 349	52.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.0	93 of 273	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.9	226 of 262	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.0	138 of 226	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	72.9	11 of 156	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	31.5	132 of 173	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.3	276 of 610	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.6	303 of 602	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.4	254 of 588	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	288 of 594	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.1	198 of 475	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.7	142 of 475	70.1%	★★★★☆
2018	56.6	186 of 449	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	56.7	226 of 412	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.3	185 of 403	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.6	136 of 403	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	166 of 398	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.5	155 of 337	54.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	47.8	204 of 462	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	254 of 454	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.9	214 of 449	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.8	240 of 436	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.3	104 of 370	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	30.5	248 of 354	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	254 of 340	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.0	291 of 606	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.4	328 of 613	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.1	286 of 597	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.5	259 of 544	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.9	208 of 432	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	179 of 446	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.2	220 of 424	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	281 of 601	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.0	290 of 607	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.7	280 of 602	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.1	271 of 585	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.9	163 of 481	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	197 of 488	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.0	198 of 463	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.8	23 of 53	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	113 of 253	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	122 of 261	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.8	119 of 249	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.7	65 of 226	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	26.1	159 of 199	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	55.0	81 of 195	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.2	98 of 185	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	76 of 352	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	49.4	125 of 349	64.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	54.1	252 of 542	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.5	270 of 553	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.0	226 of 537	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.8	269 of 534	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	169 of 439	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.8	177 of 444	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	179 of 427	58.1%	★★★☆☆

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 (2025)78th percentile+22 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)66th percentile+9 vs school

African American (2025)63rd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2022)59th percentile+5 vs school

Military Connected (2025)57th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)55th percentile~ school

Female (2025)55th percentile~ school

White (2025)54th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)53rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile-5 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)45th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III69%+3 vs state

English II62%~ state avg

Math I47%+12 vs state

Biology46%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Cleveland High school is the BEST school in the area! They care about putting your child's education FIRST! The and administration are very caring they are so dedicated to the kids everyday! Close Quote

Schools Near Cleveland High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cleveland High	Public	9-12	1892 Polenta Rd	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-2455	1,889	80	23.5	98.7%	933 (49.4%)	369 (19.5%)	464 (24.6%)	28 (1.5%)	2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	91 (4.8%)	52.4	277^th of 641 public high schools	56.8%		49.7	300^th of 640 public high schools	53.1%	23	46.1	62.0	46.9	69.1	$7,646	$466	$7,180
West Johnston High	Public	9-12	5935 Raleigh Road	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 934-7333	1,563	66	23.6	99.2%	797 (51.0%)	209 (13.4%)	458 (29.3%)	13 (0.8%)	10 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (4.9%)	41.7	365^th of 641 public high schools	43.1%		41.4	363^rd of 640 public high schools	43.3%	2	45.6	64.7	27.4	53.7	$8,533	$535	$7,999
Clayton High	Public	9-12	600 S Fayetteville St	Clayton	27520	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-4064	1,929	82	23.4	99.6%	722 (37.4%)	568 (29.4%)	502 (26.0%)	25 (1.3%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	106 (5.5%)	43.4	347^th of 641 public high schools	45.9%		44.3	339^th of 640 public high schools	47.0%	8	34.3	66.2	40.2	58.5	$7,541	$374	$7,166
South Garner High	Public	9-12	8228 Hebron Church Rd	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 694-7711	1,835	105	17.4	61.5%	230 (12.5%)	872 (47.5%)	620 (33.8%)	54 (2.9%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	52 (2.8%)	47.9	317^th of 641 public high schools	50.5%		49	305^th of 640 public high schools	52.3%	12	38.3	51.1	47.7	76.7	$10,505	$368	$10,137
South Johnston High	Public	9-12	10381 US Hwy 301 S	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-3146	1,355	60	22.5	99.8%	642 (47.4%)	167 (12.3%)	485 (35.8%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	52 (3.8%)	39.4	382^nd of 641 public high schools	40.4%		30.6	446^th of 640 public high schools	30.3%	64	41.5	53.7	36.2	61.1	$9,204	$547	$8,657
Smithfield-Selma High	Public	9-12	700 M. Durwood Stephenson Park	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 934-5191	1,548	86	17.9	99.8%	290 (18.7%)	398 (25.7%)	793 (51.2%)	13 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (3.2%)	27.3	479^th of 641 public high schools	25.3%		29.3	458^th of 640 public high schools	28.4%	21	41.5	45.6	19.2	50.8	$10,069	$868	$9,200
Johnston County Early College Academy	Public	9-12	245 College Rd	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2314	251	7	34.9	98.8%	142 (56.6%)	22 (8.8%)	72 (28.7%)	5 (2.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	94.1	34^th of 641 public high schools	94.7%		95.9	11^th of 640 public high schools	98.3%	23		98.4		100.0	$6,903	$137	$6,766
Johnston County Schools Career Technical	Public	9-12	245 College Road	Smithfield	27577	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 464-2303	241	6	41.1	98.8%	101 (41.9%)	31 (12.9%)	98 (40.7%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.5%)	95.5	17^th of 641 public high schools	97.3%		95.8	13^th of 640 public high schools	98.0%	4	98.1	98.7	94.3	98.5	$7,440	$137	$7,303
Garner High	Public, Magnet	9-12	2101 Spring Drive	Garner	27529	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 662-2379	1,670	107	15.5	54.7%	473 (28.3%)	551 (33.0%)	559 (33.5%)	23 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (3.7%)	38.9	384^th of 641 public high schools	40.1%		32.2	428^th of 640 public high schools	33.1%	44	41.6	55.1	20.2	69.5	$8,960	$511	$8,449
Willow Spring High	Public	9-12	1704 Old Honeycutt Rd	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 694-8030	2,223	110	20.2	28.7%	1,249 (56.2%)	319 (14.3%)	465 (20.9%)	99 (4.5%)	5 (0.2%)	6 (0.3%)	80 (3.6%)	58.2	240^th of 641 public high schools	62.6%		51.6	289^th of 640 public high schools	54.8%	49	61.2	69.7	31.1	67.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Cleveland High

What is the racial makeup of Cleveland High?

Students at Cleveland High are 49% White, 25% Hispanic, 20% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Cleveland High a good school?

Cleveland High ranks 277^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cleveland High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,889 students attended Cleveland High.

What district is Cleveland High in?

Johnston County Public Schools

What schools feed into Cleveland High?

Cleveland High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Cleveland Elementary
Elementary : Polenta Elementary
Middle : Cleveland Middle

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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.