Cleveland County Schools
Cleveland County Schools is a public school district based in Shelby, North Carolina, serving 14,504 students in 28 schools. By enrollment it ranks #24 of the 112 North Carolina districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 79% of them. Its schools average 518 students each, more than the North Carolina median of 446. Its superintendent is Dr Chris Bennett. It spends about $10,753 per student on day-to-day operations, about the state median. It has roughly 15.6 students per teacher.
How Cleveland County compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Cleveland County | North Carolina median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $10,753 | $11,153 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,741 | $6,920 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $160.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $159.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 931 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 15.6 | 15.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 337 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The North Carolina median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr Chris Bennett
Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, EDDIE, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in North Carolina
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba County SchoolsNewton | 16,003 | 28 | $9,604 | 17.4 | #22 |
| Randolph County School SystemAsheboro | 14,994 | 32 | $9,697 | 15.5 | #23 |
| Cleveland County SchoolsShelby · this district | 14,504 | 28 | $10,753 | 15.6 | #24 |
| Brunswick County SchoolsBolivia | 13,561 | 20 | $11,721 | 15.3 | #25 |
| Nash County Public SchoolsNashville | 13,178 | 23 | $10,270 | 20.2 | #26 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene ISDAbilene, TX | 14,536 | $10,560 | 14.8 |
| Sioux City Community School DistrictSioux City, IA | 14,475 | $11,340 | 15.0 |
| LowellLowell, MA | 14,457 | $17,683 | 12.6 |
| Toms River Regional School DistrictToms River, NJ | 14,454 | $18,038 | 13.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-nc-cleveland-county-schools