Enrollment
376
Elementary
DISTRICT 425 · STATE 467
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CLEVELAND COUNTY SCHOOLS·NCES 370090002712
James Love Elementary
309 James Love Road, Shelby, NC 28152 · (704) 476-8385 · Cleveland County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL376 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 17% of North Carolina public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded North Carolina public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 14.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
371 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 82%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 17 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 70 | 19% |
| Grade 1 | 57 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 68 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 51 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 53 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (70) is 32% larger than its 5th grade class (53).
Student demographics
64%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NC EOG / EOC 2024-25 . % Grade Level Proficient (Level 3+)English Language Arts
40.0%
NC avg 50.9%
Math
39.4%
NC avg 52.2%
What this means: On the NC EOG / EOC, North Carolina's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Carolina schools, those numbers are about 51 and 52.
Source: NC EOG / EOC. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
40.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.7%
based on NC schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 41% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 49% typical for North Carolina schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among North Carolina's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like James Love Elementary
James Love Elementary's state test result (40.7% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Love Elementary this school | 376 | 98.7% | 40.7% |
| J C Sawyer Elementary Elizabeth City | 400 | 99.3% | 52.3% |
| Sam D Bundy Elementary Farmville | 345 | 99.1% | 44.8% |
| Moss Street Elementary Reidsville | 354 | 97.5% | 23.5% |
| South End Elementary Reidsville | 355 | 94.6% | 30.9% |
| South Creek Elementary Robersonville | 337 | 99.1% | 38.5% |
Matched among North Carolina elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where James Love Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Carolina | In Cleveland County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.7% | #1,081 of 1,297 | #15 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.4% | #1,147 of 1,296 | #15 of 15 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.0% | #944 of 1,300 | #15 of 15 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 376 | #977 of 1,485 | #10 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.3:1 | #126 of 1,377 | #2 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.5% | #553 of 1,379 | #4 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 98.7% | #787 of 1,414 | #13 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.5% | #923 of 937 | #7 of 8 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
376
+55 (+17%) vs 2020
+20% since 2010-11, when it was 314
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
was 11.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 376 | 30.5 | 12.3:1 | 99% (371) |
| 2023-24 | 356 | 29.4 | 12.1:1 | 99% (353) |
| 2022-23 | 350 | 30.3 | 11.6:1 | 99% (347) |
| 2020-21 | 321 | 27 | 11.9:1 | 99% (318) |
| 2017-18 | 378 | 25.3 | 15.0:1 | 96% (363) |
| 2015-16 | 384 | 26 | 14.8:1 | 90% (346) |
| 2010-11 | 314 | 22 | 14.3:1 | 62% (194) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for James Love Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (378 to 376); teachers up 20% (25.3 to 30.5).
About James Love Elementary
A small elementary school in Shelby, North Carolina, James Love Elementary is part of Cleveland County Schools. Enrolled students number 376 students, in pre-K through 5.
James Love Elementary belongs to Cleveland County Schools, a district of 28 schools and 14,504 students.
James Love Elementary's enrollment is 53% Black. Other groups make up 24% White, 15% Hispanic, and 7% multiracial. County-wide, 18% of Cleveland County residents are Black. James Love Elementary has a diversity index of 64%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
A ratio of 12.3:1 comes from the school's 30.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 14.9:1 average for elementary schools in North Carolina is higher than this school's figure. The lunch program counts 99% of students at James Love Elementary as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Across public schools in Cleveland County, the average is about the same, 99%.
Measured against North Carolina public elementary schools, James Love Elementary receives a C-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The model predicts 48.7% for a school in North Carolina with James Love Elementary's free or reduced-price lunch share. James Love Elementary posts 40.7%.
Cleveland County census figures show that median household income is about $58,534, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. James Love Elementary is among the 29 public schools in Cleveland County.
Of nearby public schools, North Shelby is the closest, at less than a tenth of a mile. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Of 6 schools in the immediate area with test results, James Love Elementary ranks 5th on average proficiency.
NCES assigns James Love Elementary the locale Town: Distant, meaning in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
Enrollment was 321 in 2020-21 and 376 in 2024-25, a rise of 55 students.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Cleveland County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
100,991
Census ACS
Median income
$58,534
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
22%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
29
15,682 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cleveland County Schools
- Kings Mountain HighHigh · 1,305 students
- Crest HighHigh · 1,098 students
- Burns HighHigh · 928 students
- Crest MiddleMiddle · 810 students
- Shelby HighHigh · 792 students
- Burns MiddleMiddle · 744 students
Other schools in Shelby
- Pinnacle Classical AcademyCombined · 1,178 students
- Crest HighHigh · 1,098 students
- Crest MiddleMiddle · 810 students
- Shelby HighHigh · 792 students
- Elizabeth ElementaryElementary · 649 students
- Springmore ElementaryElementary · 618 students
Nearby schools
- North Shelby0.1 mi · 76
- Shelby Middle1.0 mi · 588
- Shelby High1.7 mi · 792
- Cleveland Innovation2.2 mi · 187
- Turning Point Academy2.2 mi · 142
- Crest High2.4 mi · 1,098
Frequently asked questions
About James Love ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at James Love Elementary?
James Love Elementary enrolls approximately 376 students in grades PK-05.
Is James Love Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
James Love Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many students per teacher at James Love Elementary?
Approximately 12.3:1 students per teacher at James Love Elementary.
What is the racial breakdown of students at James Love Elementary?
At James Love Elementary, the student body is approximately 24% White, 15% Hispanic, 53% Black, 1% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Is James Love Elementary public or private?
James Love Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cleveland County Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.