Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27517

ZIP code 27517 contains four schools, all elementary schools serving grades PK/K–5, with no middle or high schools available in the immediate area. The 1,843 students in this area attend either Chatham County Schools or Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and both districts hold strong 4-star ratings statewide.

Glenwood Elementary stands out as the top performer in the ZIP code, ranking #66 statewide with an elite 5-star rating, the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 5.6 percent, and roughly 86 percent average EOG proficiency. The most remarkable school, however, is North Chatham Elementary: despite 99.49 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch and having the lowest spending per student in the group, it ranks in the 88th percentile—earning 4 stars and posting the second-highest proficiency average at roughly 78 percent. Ephesus Elementary has improved steadily from #288 to #182 in state rankings over three years, while Rashkis Elementary is the relative weak point: it dropped from 4 stars to 3 stars and now sits at #468, about 19 points behind Glenwood in proficiency despite receiving the highest per-student funding of $15,130.

All four schools outperform North Carolina state averages in every tested subject and grade, making this a notably strong elementary-only area. Highlights include Glenwood’s 91.3 percent 5th-grade math proficiency and North Chatham’s 89.6 percent 5th-grade math proficiency—both far above state norms. Math proficiency exceeds reading proficiency at every school, with Rashkis showing the widest gap at about 11 points, suggesting a possible need for reading support. Chronic absenteeism is low overall at roughly 12.2 percent, well below the state rate of 24.2 percent, and lower absenteeism tends to accompany higher performance. Notably, students at Rashkis (47.69 percent free/reduced lunch) underperform those at North Chatham despite comparable or better resources, and stark differences exist between two schools in the same district, indicating that school-level factors—not demographic assumptions or district reputation—matter most in this ZIP code.