Clearfield, Inc.

UNITED STATES

AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

**SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

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☒ Definitive Proxy Statement

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7050 Winnetka Avenue North, Suite 100

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55428

(763) 476-6866

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

To Be Held February 26, 2026

____________________

TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF CLEARFIELD, INC.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Clearfield, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time for the following purposes:

THE 2026 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS WILL BE A VIRTUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS.

You may attend the online meeting and vote your shares electronically during the meeting via the internet by visiting: www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/CLFD2026. You will need the 16-digit control number that is printed on your notice of internet availability of proxy materials or the box marked by the arrow on your proxy card or on the voting instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. We recommend that you log in at least 15 minutes before the meeting to ensure that you are logged in when the meeting starts.

Only holders of record of Clearfield, Inc.’s common stock at the close of business on December 29, 2025 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors

/s/ Frank J. Brixius Jr.

Frank J. Brixius Jr.

Secretary

January 15, 2026

WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ONLINE MEETING, PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING AVAILABILITY

OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE

2026 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2026

We are making our proxy materials available electronically via the Internet. You may access the following proxy materials at www.proxyvote.com:

— Notice of 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Thursday, February 26, 2026;

— Proxy Statement for 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders; and

— Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025.

On or about January 15, 2026, we mailed to some of our shareholders a notice of internet availability containing instructions on how to access our proxy materials, including our proxy statement and our annual report. The notice of internet availability includes instructions to vote via the Internet, as well as how to request paper or e-mail copies of our proxy materials. Other shareholders received an e-mail notification that provided instructions on how to access our proxy materials and vote via the Internet or were mailed paper copies of our proxy materials and a proxy card that provides instructions for voting via the Internet, by telephone or by mail.

If you received the notice of internet availability and would prefer to receive printed proxy materials, please follow the instructions included in the notice of internet availability. If you have previously elected to receive our proxy materials electronically, you will continue to receive e-mails with instructions to access these materials via the Internet unless you elect otherwise.

These proxy materials are available free of charge and will remain available through the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. Additionally, we will not collect information, such as “cookies,” that would allow us to identify visitors to the site.

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7050 Winnetka Avenue North, Suite 100

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55428

(763) 476-6866

**PROXY STATEMENT