Elementary schools in most of North Carolina run from kindergarten through grade five. The main purpose of elementary schools is to launch children into the formal education system. There are five public elementary schools in the Kings Mountain region, all of them offering kindergarten through grade four. The schools are Bethware Elementary School, Grover Elementary School, West Elementary School, North Elementary School and East Elementary School.
The Kings Mountain region of the Cleveland County Schools system differs from many other regions in that an Intermediate level offering grades five and six is introduced before the Lower School, which offers grades seven and eight. The Kings Mountain Intermediate School (clevelandcountyschools.org/schools/kmis) takes students from the elementary level when they have completed grade four. As of April 2011 the total enrollment at the school was 752 according to the Education Bug website.
Middle school is also known as junior high school, and in Kings Mountain atypically covers grades seven and eight. It is in Kings Mountain Middle School (clevelandcountyschools.org/schools/kmis) that students in the Kings Mountain school zone come face to face with the academic challenges presented by a new level of school life. The Kings Mountain Middle School offers baseball, tennis, track, soccer, football, cross country and basketball. As of April 2011 there are also no less than 25 clubs that students can join.
Kings Mountain High School (clevelandcountyschools.org/schools/kmhs) is the only high school in Kings Mountain. The school's mission, according to their website, is to provide a secure and disciplined environment where high expectations enable students to acquire the proficiency and facts that are necessary for graduation and for becoming trustworthy and productive citizens. The school has a total enrollment of 1270 as of April 2011.