Fallston Elementary

Fallston Elementary is a reasonably sized elementary-level community in Fallston, North Carolina, run under Cleveland County Schools. The school works with 502 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Within Cleveland County Schools, which oversees 28 schools and 14,504 students, Fallston Elementary is one campus in the system.

Demographically, Fallston Elementary logs that 75% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder is composed of 11% Black, 8% Hispanic, 6% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 13.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.9:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 99% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Fallston Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 48.5%; this one delivers 58.0%.

Across the wider county, Cleveland County reports that median household earnings sit near $58,534, roughly 22% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Cleveland County's 29 public schools (combined enrollment of about 15,682 students), Fallston Elementary is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Burns High, roughly 1.9 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Fallston Elementary at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 54.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 10%: 558 students in 2018 compared to 502 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share contracted from 16% to 11%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 13.9:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.