Schools in Zip Code 27209

Zip code 27209, around Biscoe, North Carolina, is served by three schools: East Middle (grades 6–8), Green Ridge Elementary (grades PK–5), and Tillery Charter Academy (grades K–8). All three currently rate 1 star, and there is no high school within the zip code. East Middle and Green Ridge belong to Montgomery County Schools, ranked 195th of 246 districts, while the Tillery Charter Academy charter district-equivalent ranks 196th.

East Middle is the zip code's only traditional public middle school, and its ranking has fallen from the 42nd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 11th percentile in 2025-2026. Its 7th grade math (45.5% proficient) and 8th grade science (45.9%) beat district averages, yet only 23% of its 8th graders are proficient in math. Green Ridge posts the best attendance (20% chronic absenteeism vs. 24.2% statewide), the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.0 to 1), the highest per-student spending ($13,889), and strong 3rd grade math at 70.6%; however, 4th grade math (21.9%) and reading (34.4%) fall far below state averages. Tillery Charter Academy is the most volatile school, exceeding state averages in 3rd grade math (77.8%) and 8th grade reading (66.7%), while its 4th grade math is just 15.4% and its chronic absenteeism stands at a striking 53.6%.

Both traditional public schools have free or reduced-price lunch rates above 98%, making concentrated poverty a defining factor in this zip code, and even Green Ridge's higher spending and smaller classes do not produce consistently better results than East Middle's lower budget. Tillery Charter Academy's severe chronic absenteeism likely explains some of its wild grade-level swings, and as a small K-8 school, its year-to-year changes of 20 to 57 points can represent only a handful of students. Because there is no high school in the zip code, East Middle and Tillery Charter Academy serve as the academic bridge to high schools outside 27209. Overall, these are all low-ranking schools with isolated pockets of strength, but performance at each is unstable from grade to grade and year to year.