In Cleveland County, we believe the adage, “Children are the future.”  To ensure our future is bright, education is a priority in the community. 

The Cleveland County School System has 17,600 students making it the twenty-third largest district in the state. Students attend 28 different schools including 16 elementary, two intermediate, four middle and four high schools, a school for special needs students, and an alternative school.

All of our public schools strive to be the best academically and athletically.  Special programs are offered for academically gifted students as well as those that need an extra boost.  All of the schools have had great success in athletics, including state championships in baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming, track, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.

Our educators have the benefit of incredible support from the business community. The JobReady Partnership is a collaborative effort between the school system, the Cleveland County Chamber, Cleveland Community College, and business and industry.  The program strives to make school relevant for young people as it relates to an eventual career. JobReady consists of a job-shadowing program for middle and high school students, a career fair for the county’s eighth grade students, as well as other opportunities for school-work connections.  The program has been nationally recognized as an outstanding school and business partnership.  The College Tech Prep Program uses technology courses to prepare high school students planning to enter the work force or a technical school upon graduation.

The Arts in Education Program, co-sponsored by Cleveland County Arts Council, brings a series of touring and exhibiting artists to many of the schools each year.  The county is also fortunate to have numerous special programs to benefit at-risk children.  Those include Communities in Schools, Youth Assistance Program, Boys and Girls Club, and several branches of the YMCA.

Higher Education
Not many counties can boast two exceptional higher education institutions. Both Cleveland Community College, a public, comprehensive, two-year institution, and Gardner-Webb University, a private, Christian university, are located in the county.

Cleveland Community College
Cleveland Community College is dedicated to serving the higher education and training needs of the citizens of Cleveland County and the surrounding area.  CCC, founded in 1965, is part of the nationally-recognized North Carolina Community College System.  The College serves over 10,000 students each year in both curriculum and continuing education programs.

CCC offers a diverse set of programs designed to meet the needs of all citizens of Cleveland County.  The College provides students wishing to transfer to a four-year college or university the opportunity to obtain an associate of arts or associate in science degree.  Students completing these degrees are guaranteed entrance as a junior at any of North Carolina’s 16 public institutions and many of the private colleges. In addition to the college transfer programs, CCC offers the associate in applied science degree, with 28 technical specialty areas, providing career education to students and a skilled labor pool to local employers. One-year diploma and certificate programs provide educational training in a variety of areas including auto body repair, machining, basic law enforcement training, and numerous construction trades.  Allied health programs include associate degree nursing (RN), radiography, practical nursing (LPN), surgical technology and phlebotomy.

Students as young as 16 years of age can begin taking advantage of the courses offered by Cleveland Community College through the Huskins Bill and Dual Enrollment programs.  Both of these programs, offered in cooperation with the public schools, are tuition free.

Continuing education programs include occupational courses designed to meet the needs of industry and business in Cleveland County.  Several industries have taken the opportunity to partner with the College with new industry training, expanded industry training, and focused industrial training.  These programs, offered in conjunction with the State of North Carolina, are a key component in the county’s economic development.

Cleveland Community College is proud to be the institution authorized to train all professionals and volunteers charged with public safety.  All law enforcement, firefighters, and rescue personnel receive curriculum and continuing education at the College.  CCC is home to one of the finest Emergency Training Centers in the region and was the first in the state to be named an Advanced EMS Education Institution.

The Small Business Center, located at CCC, offers seminars and individual counseling on all areas of owning and operating a small business.  Cleveland Community College also offers adult literacy programs including GED preparation, Adult High School, and English as a Second Language. 

Gardner-Webb University
Gardner-Webb consistently has been included among elite colleges nationwide to be named as a character-building institution by the respected Templeton Foundation of Washington, DC. The University's programs also have been recognized nationally for quality in U.S. News and World Report's Guide to America's Best Colleges. The faculty is consistently rated as one of the most stellar collections in the Southeast, with educators boasting backgrounds from Ivy League institutions and others such as Vanderbilt, Duke and William & Mary.

A great variety of degree and continuing education programs are available at the University. Associate, bachelor, masters and doctoral degree programs are offered, and certificate courses for non-degree seeking students also are now available through the Center for Congregational Enrichment, an auxiliary service of the GWU School of Divinity.

The Lake Hollifield Complex and the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center are both available to the public for recreational use. And the Williams Observatory, unique to this area of North Carolina, offers programs and opportunities for the public as well. In addition, the Broyhill Adventure Course on campus, which teaches leadership and team-building skills through a variety of physical challenges, welcomes groups and organizations from across the region year-round.

Plays, fine arts events and performances are held continually on campus throughout the academic year for the public to attend. Opera performances, orchestra presentations, and choral groups provide cultural opportunities and entertainment for young and old alike.

Gardner-Webb's athletics program competes on the NCAA Division I level. GWU is a proud member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, one of the elite academic and athletic conferences in America. With 20 intercollegiate sports offered for both male and female student-athletes, Gardner-Webb has created or upgraded numerous facilities to accommodate the transition to Division I. Among the improvements are a new stadium, swimming complex, new track and field facilities, new softball facilities, new tennis courts, and a new multi-purpose building for the tennis and baseball programs. The largest soccer complex in this part of the state has also been developed on campus, which is used additionally as the home for the Greater Cleveland County Soccer Association.