Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Cleveland County Schools

This page covers 15 elementary schools in Cleveland County Schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

15
Schools Ranked
North Carolina
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 15
1
rank
West Elementary
Grades PK–04290 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
60%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Grover Elementary
Grades PK–04320 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
3
rank
East Elementary
Grades PK–04214 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.4:1)
45
/100
Student:Teacher
11.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
98%
High economic need
4
rank
North Elementary
Grades PK–04263 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
43
/100
Student:Teacher
13.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
5
rank
Boiling Springs Elementary
Grades PK–05549 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
43
/100
Student:Teacher
14.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
31/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
63%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Union Elementary
Grades PK–05423 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
13.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
33/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
7
rank
Springmore Elementary
Grades PK–05553 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
14.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
31/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
63%
Near nat'l 52.2%
8
rank
James Love Elementary
Grades PK–05350 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.6:1)
42
/100
Student:Teacher
11.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
31/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
9
rank
Elizabeth Elementary
Grades PK–05569 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.9:1)
41
/100
Student:Teacher
12.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
31/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
10
rank
Fallston Elementary
Grades PK–05456 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.8:1)
41
/100
Student:Teacher
12.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
31/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$12,545
Below nat'l avg
Free Lunch
99%
High economic need
5 more elementary schools in Cleveland County Schools not shown here.
View all schools in Cleveland County Schools
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
15
Elementary Schools
28
Total Schools
47
#1 Score
42
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
West Elementary
Score: 47/100
Other School Levels
Compare Cleveland County Schools with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.