Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27320

Zip code 27320 in Reidsville, North Carolina, contains 11 schools — 7 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high, and 1 alternative — serving about 4,525 students in a very high-poverty area. Most schools belong to Rockingham County Schools, ranked 171st of 246 districts statewide, while Stoney Creek Elementary is part of Caswell County Schools and Legacy Classical Academy operates as its own charter district. Every school reporting free/reduced lunch data exceeds 90% eligibility, averaging around 97%.

Bethany Elementary is the clear standout: it ranks 587th of 1,492 elementary schools (61st percentile, 3 stars), is the only school in the area where most tested subjects meet or exceed state averages, and posts the lowest chronic absenteeism in the zip code at 17.4% — all despite a 99.35% poverty rate. Moss Street Elementary sits at the opposite extreme — 1,478th of 1,492 (bottom 1%) with proficiency as low as 14.9% in 4th grade math and chronic absenteeism of 47.9%. Among secondary schools, Rockingham County Middle (428th of 778) beats Reidsville Middle (691st of 778) in every subject and has lower absenteeism. Reidsville High posts a graduation rate of 87.3%, close to the state's 88.8%, but only 23.2% of students are proficient on Math I and 35.6% on Biology. The SCORE Center, an alternative school with just 32 students, has 75.9% chronic absenteeism and per-pupil spending of $46,554.

Perhaps most striking, high poverty does not tell the whole story: Bethany and Moss Street serve nearly identical poverty levels, yet 5th grade reading proficiency is 59.0% at Bethany versus 22.2% at Moss Street — and attendance gaps follow the same pattern. Chronic absenteeism is the area's most pervasive challenge, with a zip average around 38% versus the state's 24.2%; only Bethany and Monroeton Elementary are at or below the state average. Reading also lags math at most elementary schools, though several posted strong 5th-grade gains from 2024-25 to 2025-26, including Monroeton Elementary and Williamsburg Elementary. For parents, Bethany Elementary and Rockingham County Middle are the strongest options in the zip, while Moss Street, Reidsville Middle, and Reidsville High warrant careful attention around academics and attendance.