Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27542

Summary:

The 27542 zip code area is home to two schools - North Johnston High School and Glendale-Kenly Elementary School, both part of the Johnston County Public Schools district. While the schools serve different grade levels, they share some common challenges, including relatively low statewide rankings and a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

North Johnston High School is the only high school in the 27542 zip code area, but it has a low statewide ranking, placing between 320-383 out of 626-641 North Carolina high schools in the past 3 years, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores are generally below the district and state averages, except for English II, where it performs slightly better. However, the school has a very high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 99.62%, indicating a high-need student population.

Similarly, Glendale-Kenly Elementary School has a relatively low statewide ranking, placing between 657-773 out of 1,490-1,505 North Carolina elementary schools in the past 3 years, with a 2-3 star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's test scores are mixed, with some grades performing above the district and state averages, while others are below. Like North Johnston High, Glendale-Kenly Elementary also has a very high percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 99.31%, suggesting a high-need student population in the 27542 zip code area.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Glendale-Kenly Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Bay Valley Rd	Kenly	27542	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 284-2821	433	30	14.4	99.3%	217 (50.1%)	53 (12.2%)	135 (31.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	48.3	773^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	48.1%		55.2	657^th of 1505 public elementary schools	56.3%	116					76.5	52.9	44.2	49.4	64.7	46.3	53.7	$10,347	$1,266	$9,081
North Johnston High	Public	9-12	5915 US Hwy 301 N	Kenly	27542	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 284-2031	788	40	19.8	98.2%	376 (47.7%)	75 (9.5%)	316 (40.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (2.7%)	40	376^th of 641 public high schools	41.3%		38.2	383^rd of 640 public high schools	40.2%	7	33.3	58.6	45.1	57.7								$10,995	$811	$10,184

Cities Near Zip Code 27542

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kenly	2.83 mi	2	297^th
Micro	4.96 mi	2	181^st
Lucama	7.64 mi	2	22^nd
Wilson	8.27 mi	22	195^th
Pikeville	8.32 mi	3	156^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.