Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27302

Zip code 27302 in the Mebane area of North Carolina contains 7 public schools—4 elementary (Audrey W. Garrett Elementary, South Mebane Elementary, E M Yoder Elementary, South Elementary), 2 middle (Hawfields Middle, Woodlawn Middle), and 1 high (Eastern Alamance High)—enrolling 4,311 students across Alamance-Burlington Schools and Caswell County Schools. Every school serves a majority low-income population, with free/reduced lunch eligibility from roughly 51% to over 99%; although both districts carry 1-star ratings, individual schools span 1 to 4 stars and the 21st to 80th percentile statewide.

Hawfields Middle is the strongest school in the area: rated 4 stars at the 80th percentile, its scores have climbed three straight years, and average EOG proficiency is roughly 70%, with every subject beating district and state averages. Audrey W. Garrett Elementary follows at the 70th percentile (4 stars), led by exceptional 3rd-grade math (84.3% proficient vs. 66.4% statewide), and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the area at 18.6%. E M Yoder Elementary is solidly above average at the 64th percentile with strong 5th-grade results and the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.0). South Elementary, the area's most improved school, jumped from the 7th percentile in 2023-24 to the 50th percentile in 2025-26, posting 5th-grade science proficiency of 79.3%—more than 11 points above the state—despite nearly 99% poverty.

The biggest concerns are Woodlawn Middle, which ranks at the 21st percentile (1 star) and is steadily declining, and South Mebane Elementary, which slid from the 62nd to the 39th percentile over three years. Eastern Alamance High stands out for its strong 90.5% graduation rate and remarkable Math I proficiency (61.7% vs. 42.1% statewide), but it lags well behind in English II, Biology, and Math III and has the highest chronic absenteeism in the area at 34.5%. The contrast between Hawfields and Woodlawn—two middle schools in the same district and zip code separated by 59 percentile points and 42 points in 7th-grade math—underscores that parents in 27302 should judge each school on its own merits rather than relying on district-level ratings.