Cleveland Innovation, Shelby NC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Cleveland Innovation

Cleveland Innovation is a K-12 public school in Shelby, North Carolina, operating within Cleveland County Schools. It is a small school with an enrollment weighted toward the upper grades, particularly in grades 10 and 11.

The school's academic profile shows strength in language arts, where proficiency on state End-of-Grade tests for grades 3-8 stands well above midline. Science proficiency is also solid. Math proficiency runs lower than the other two subjects, reflecting a pattern many schools face in elementary and middle grades. Test data comes from the 2024-25 school year; prior-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to track whether these results represent improvement or decline.

The student body is economically challenged, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic makeup is majority white, with meaningful representation of Black students and smaller numbers of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on special education and English learner enrollment is not published for this school.

Shelby itself is a small Piedmont city with textile and manufacturing roots, sitting between Charlotte and the foothills. Its economy centers on retail, healthcare (Atrium Health and its hospital), manufacturing (including aerospace work), and an active but modest downtown revival in the historic uptown district around Court Square. The city is in a measured growth phase; a new US-74 bypass opened to the north, and new residential development and commercial projects, including industrial expansion, are underway. Housing values in the Shelby area are moderate and have declined slightly year-over-year, while rental costs remain stable. The local job market shows typical Piedmont characteristics: healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and schools are the largest employers.

Cleveland County Schools has made significant recent changes to its footprint. At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the district closed both Graham Elementary and Marion Elementary in Shelby and consolidated their students into Elizabeth Elementary (which moved into the former Shelby Intermediate building). This restructuring permanently altered school attendance zones and neighborhood walk-to-school options; the Marion property remained vacant as of 2025, with its future uncertain. For families in Shelby, these closures are a tangible context when choosing where to live and which schools will serve their children.

No data was available on Cleveland Innovation's graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, staffing levels, course offerings, or AP and dual-credit pathways. The school's size and focus are not detailed in available sources. A parent considering this school may want to contact the school directly to understand its academic program, whether it offers career or college-dual-credit pathways beyond what appears in state records, and how the K-12 span on one campus affects student experience and transition.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 5 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

637 schools plotted. 14 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grades 3-861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-879%

School 79% · District 54% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Science

Grades 3-877%

School 77% · District 57% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

This schoolCleveland County Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 8Lower-income82%Higher-income90%8 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income77%Higher-income82%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income82%Higher-income70%12 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income58%Higher-income64%6 pp gap