Summary:
The 9 elementary schools in zip code 27405 in Greensboro, NC serve about 4,160 students, with most providing traditional elementary grades, two charter schools extending through 8th grade, and one small charter serving grades 3 through 5. Six schools belong to Guilford County Schools and three are charters; the area is exceptionally high-poverty, with free/reduced lunch rates averaging roughly 98.5%, and nearly every school faces elevated chronic absenteeism.
Gate City Charter is the clear academic standout, ranking 658th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools (56th percentile) with 3 stars, the only school in the zip code above the 50th percentile, and it posts reading proficiency above state averages in multiple grades. Aggie Academy, though small at 85 students, excels in the early grades with 87.5% 3rd grade math proficiency and the area's lowest chronic absenteeism at 15.2%. Guilford Preparatory Academy also exceeds the state average in 5th grade math. At the other end, Bessemer Elementary ranks 1,465th statewide, in the bottom 2%, with 0 stars and no tested subject reaching 37% proficiency.
Chronic absenteeism closely tracks poor performance: Bessemer Elementary, Rankin Elementary, and Ceasar Cone Elementary all have absenteeism at or above 40% and sit in the bottom 11th percentile, while the area's strongest academic performers have the lowest absenteeism. The academic gap versus the state widens from roughly 8 points in 3rd grade math to about 16 points by 5th grade. Brightwood Elementary is a notable bright spot in 5th grade science at 72.9% proficiency, above the state average, and Reedy Fork Elementary illustrates how volatile rankings can be, dropping from the 44th to the 19th percentile in one year. Herbin Metz Education Center, with only 68 students, a 4.3-to-1 student-teacher ratio, and per-pupil spending above $34,000, appears to be a specialized program and should be judged separately rather than compared with traditional elementary schools.
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