Is Cleveland High a good school?

Cleveland High ranks 300 th of 640 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cleveland High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,879 students attended Cleveland High.

What is the racial makeup of Cleveland High?

Students at Cleveland High are 54% White, 21% Hispanic, 18% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Cleveland High?

Cleveland High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Cleveland Elementary Elementary : Polenta Elementary Middle : Cleveland Middle

Cleveland High

Summary:

Cleveland High is a public high school located in Clayton, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,879 students. The school is part of the Johnston County Public Schools district, which is ranked 90 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cleveland High has a relatively diverse student population, with 54.28% White, 17.56% African American, and 21.45% Hispanic students. Academically, the school's performance is generally on par with or slightly above the district and state averages in subjects like English II and Math III, but lags behind in Biology and Math I. The school has consistently ranked in the middle of North Carolina high schools, typically between 260-300 out of around 600 schools, and has maintained a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years.

Compared to nearby schools, Cleveland High generally performs better than South Johnston High and Smithfield-Selma High, but lags behind the high-performing Johnston County Early College Academy and Johnston County Schools Career Technical. However, the school outperforms some of the nearby Wake County schools, such as Southeast Raleigh High and Garner High, in certain subject areas. The school also faces challenges in supporting certain student subgroups, such as English Language Learners and low-income students, which may be related to its relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1892 Polenta Rd
Clayton, NC 27520

(919) 934-2455

District: Johnston County Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
300^th of 640 North Carolina High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,646

Feeder schools for Cleveland High:

Elementary:	Cleveland Elementary
	Polenta Elementary
Middle:	Cleveland Middle

Student/teacher ratio: 18.9

Number of students: 1,879

Racial breakdown:

White:

54.3%

Hispanic:

21.4%

African American:

17.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 35%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Cleveland High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Cleveland High ranks better than 53.1% of high schools in North Carolina. It also ranks 4^th among 10 ranked high schools in the Johnston County Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 49.66. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Cleveland High is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (54.3%), Hispanic (21.4%), African American (17.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 35% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cleveland High is 18.9. 6 high schools in the Johnston County Public Schools District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Cleveland High employs 99.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cleveland High is $7,646. 5 high schools in the Johnston County Public Schools District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cleveland High:

SchoolDigger ranks Cleveland High 300^th of 640 North Carolina public high schools. (See Cleveland High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Gifted and Talented students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Johnston County Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Johnston County Public Schools 90^th of 242 North Carolina school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Cleveland High.

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Rank History for Cleveland High

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Rank History for all students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2013	44.51	188^th	505	62.8%
2014	65.62	89^th	451	80.3%
2015	70.88	74^th	531	86.1%
2016	58.63	112^th	507	77.9%
2017	71.64	74^th	476	84.5%
2018	54.91	180^th	469	61.6%
2019	55.34	174^th	514	66.1%
2021	52.16	260^th	594	56.2%
2022	50.06	285^th	621	54.1%
2023	52.73	273^rd	626	56.4%
2024	49.66	300^th	640	53.1%

See the entire list of North Carolina High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	47.25	98^th	185	47.0%
2019	54.98	81^st	195	58.5%
2021	26.11	159^th	199	20.1%
2022	59.66	65^th	226	71.2%
2023	48.79	119^th	249	52.2%
2024	50.98	122^nd	261	53.3%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2019	31.49	132^nd	173	23.7%
2022	72.94	11^th	156	92.9%
2023	34.03	138^th	226	38.9%
2024	25.87	226^th	262	13.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	49.44	125^th	349	64.2%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	41.17	220^th	424	48.1%
2019	43.67	179^th	446	59.9%
2021	37.91	208^th	432	51.9%
2022	43.52	259^th	544	52.4%
2023	44.09	286^th	597	52.1%
2024	40.36	328^th	613	46.5%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	56.63	186^th	449	58.6%
2019	59.73	142^nd	475	70.1%
2021	49.10	198^th	475	58.3%
2022	49.28	288^th	594	51.5%
2023	55.39	254^th	588	56.8%
2024	47.60	303^rd	602	49.7%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	42.24	167^th	349	52.1%
2019	29.35	272^nd	364	25.3%
2021	42.66	161^st	334	51.8%
2022	45.35	136^th	330	58.8%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2021	59.54	155^th	337	54.0%
2022	63.44	166^th	398	58.3%
2023	67.56	136^th	403	66.3%
2024	61.26	185^th	403	54.1%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	50.95	198^th	463	57.2%
2019	48.51	197^th	488	59.6%
2021	52.91	163^rd	481	66.1%
2022	49.10	271^st	585	53.7%
2023	48.66	280^th	602	53.5%
2024	49.98	290^th	607	52.2%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	43.90	167^th	359	53.5%
2019	54.61	99^th	369	73.2%
2021	44.51	138^th	364	62.1%
2022	47.75	178^th	430	58.6%
2023	41.42	218^th	434	49.8%
2024	51.24	155^th	437	64.5%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	28.68	254^th	340	25.3%
2019	30.49	248^th	354	29.9%
2021	50.33	104^th	370	71.9%
2022	39.78	240^th	436	45.0%
2023	45.88	214^th	449	52.3%
2024	38.31	254^th	454	44.1%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Cleveland High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	NC State Percentile
2018	53.43	179^th	427	58.1%
2019	52.75	177^th	444	60.1%
2021	52.17	169^th	439	61.5%
2022	47.79	269^th	534	49.6%
2023	57.00	226^th	537	57.9%
2024	52.50	270^th	553	51.2%

See the entire list of Best North Carolina High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

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

Enrollment information for Cleveland High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	384	120	5	56	6	0	23	594
2012	621	186	6	84	8	1	40	946
2013	884	260	10	122	9	2	51	1338
2014	905	253	8	146	8	1	69	1390
2015	965	257	14	157	11	0	64	1468
2016	1031	275	16	194	10	0	75	1601
2017	1059	286	16	204	12	0	80	1657
2018	1074	280	23	222	11	0	79	1689
2019	1082	304	17	248	6	2	91	1750
2020	1107	289	22	272	8	3	100	1801
2021	1064	304	18	303	5	3	86	1783
2022	1013	319	22	337	3	4	87	1785
2023	1020	330	26	403	2	4	94	1879

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cleveland High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	594	43.1	13.7	27.3
2012	946	55.8	16.9	26.3
2013	1338	72.6	18.4	25.7
2014	1390	81.4	17.0	26.9
2015	1468	80.0	18.3	27.2
2016	1601	82.0	19.5	25.5
2017	1657	84.9	19.5	24.9
2018	1689	89.8	18.7	21.3
2019	1750	87.2	20.0	24.3
2020	1801	93.0	19.3	21.4
2021	1783	95.6	18.6	20.4
2022	1785	99.6	17.9	18.8
2023	1879	99.2	18.9	35

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cleveland High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	594	43.1	13.7	27.3
2012	946	55.8	16.9	26.3
2013	1338	72.6	18.4	25.7
2014	1390	81.4	17.0	26.9
2015	1468	80.0	18.3	27.2
2016	1601	82.0	19.5	25.5
2017	1657	84.9	19.5	24.9
2018	1689	89.8	18.7	21.3
2019	1750	87.2	20.0	24.3
2020	1801	93.0	19.3	21.4
2021	1783	95.6	18.6	20.4
2022	1785	99.6	17.9	18.8
2023	1879	99.2	18.9	35

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cleveland High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$466 (6.1%)	$7,180 (93.9%)	$7,646

Data source: North Carolina Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cleveland High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 174^th of 514 High schools	Ranks 273^rd of 626 High schools	9.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
End of Course Biology (Cleveland High)	60.4	56.2	4.2%
End of Course Biology (Johnston County Public Schools)	51.2	53.2	2%
End of Course Biology (North Carolina)	59.6	54.1	5.5%
End of Course English II (Cleveland High)	70.7	63.2	7.5%
End of Course English II (Johnston County Public Schools)	60.6	56.3	4.3%
End of Course English II (North Carolina)	59.7	58.5	1.2%
End of Course Math I (Cleveland High)	43.4	42.7	0.7%
End of Course Math I (Johnston County Public Schools)	30.9	35.6	4.7%
End of Course Math I (North Carolina)	41.2	35.9	5.3%
End of Course Math III (Cleveland High)	45	59	14%
End of Course Math III (Johnston County Public Schools)	40	51.2	11.2%
End of Course Math III (North Carolina)	46.8	58.3	11.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1750	1879	7.4%
African American	304	330	8.6%
American Indian	6	2	66.7%
Asian	17	26	52.9%
Hispanic	248	403	62.5%
Pacific Islander	2	4	100%
White	1082	1020	5.7%
Two or More Races	91	94	3.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	24.3%	35%	10.7%

Schools Near Cleveland High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOC Biology (2024)	EOC English II (2024)	EOC Math I (2024)	EOC Math III (2024)	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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	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	1,879	99	18.9	35.0%	1,020 (54.3%)	330 (17.6%)	403 (21.4%)	26 (1.4%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	94 (5.0%)	49.7	300^th of 640 public high schools	53.1%		52.7	273^rd of 626 public high schools	56.4%	27	48.2	62.8	48.7	61.6	$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	1,469	79	18.6	37.8%	834 (56.8%)	183 (12.5%)	366 (24.9%)	12 (0.8%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (4.6%)	41.4	363^rd of 640 public high schools	43.3%		38.1	370^th of 626 public high schools	40.9%	7	53.8	61.0	35.4	47.3	$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	2,024	110	18.3	42.0%	836 (41.3%)	531 (26.2%)	522 (25.8%)	18 (0.9%)	5 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	111 (5.5%)	44.3	339^th of 640 public high schools	47.0%		32.7	411^th of 626 public high schools	34.3%	72	68.8	55.0	44.1	45.9	$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	1,824	104	17.5	65.9%	253 (13.9%)	870 (47.7%)	597 (32.7%)	39 (2.1%)	6 (0.3%)	7 (0.4%)	52 (2.9%)	49	305^th of 640 public high schools	52.3%		41.9	336^th of 626 public high schools	46.3%	31	42.2	47.8	52.8	75.0	$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	1,331	77	17.3	56.4%	684 (51.4%)	155 (11.6%)	426 (32.0%)	5 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (4.4%)	30.6	446^th of 640 public high schools	30.3%		28.3	448^th of 626 public high schools	28.4%	2	31.1	58.3	30.9	46.2	$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	1,503	93	16.1	68.9%	303 (20.2%)	392 (26.1%)	739 (49.2%)	11 (0.7%)	5 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (3.5%)	29.3	458^th of 640 public high schools	28.4%		24.1	485^th of 626 public high schools	22.5%	27	47.1	48.6	25.8	45.1	$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	281	10	28.1	28.5%	155 (55.2%)	25 (8.9%)	85 (30.2%)	7 (2.5%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	95.9	11^th of 640 public high schools	98.3%		95.5	18^th of 626 public high schools	97.1%	7	98.3	98.2	100.0	97.7	$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	206	9	22.8	41.3%	100 (48.5%)	21 (10.2%)	84 (40.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	95.8	13^th of 640 public high schools	98.0%		95	25^th of 626 public high schools	96.0%	12	92.6	96.3	100.0	100.0	$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	1,683	106	15.8	49.7%	507 (30.1%)	574 (34.1%)	509 (30.2%)	26 (1.5%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	61 (3.6%)	32.2	428^th of 640 public high schools	33.1%		35.4	396^th of 626 public high schools	36.7%	32	47.1	55.3	22.9	45.4	$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	1,477	82	18.1	30.5%	861 (58.3%)	185 (12.5%)	322 (21.8%)	43 (2.9%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	63 (4.3%)	51.6	289^th of 640 public high schools	54.8%					(n/a)	59.6	71.3	27.1	56.0

Cleveland High

Cleveland High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Johnston County Public Schools:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Cleveland High

Rank History for all students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Cleveland High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Special Education students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Female students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Disabled students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Male students at Cleveland High

Rank History for African American students at Cleveland High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cleveland High

Rank History for White students at Cleveland High

Review counts

Enrollment information for Cleveland High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cleveland High

Student/Teacher Ratio Cleveland High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cleveland High

Impact of COVID-19 on Cleveland High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Cleveland High

Frequently Asked Questions about Cleveland High

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