Summary:
Zip code 27568, covering the Pine Level area of North Carolina, is served by a single public elementary school: Pine Level Elementary, which enrolls 341 students in grades PK–5.
For parents, the standout fact about Pine Level Elementary is that it is a high-poverty school achieving strong results. Nearly 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school has earned a 4-star rating from Pine Level Elementary for three consecutive years and consistently ranks in the top quartile of North Carolina elementary schools—well above its district, Johnston County Public Schools, which ranks at the 60th percentile statewide. Math is a clear strength: in the most recent school year, 3rd graders scored 85.5% proficient (19 points above the state) and 5th graders scored 79.5% proficient, while the previous year's 5th grade math score hit an exceptional 93.7%—more than 30 points above both the district and state averages. The school also keeps chronic absenteeism at 16.3%, notably lower than the district's 21.8% and the state's 24.2%, which may help explain its academic resilience.
Reading performance is more mixed. While 3rd and 4th grade reading exceed state averages, 5th grade reading in the most recent year dipped to 47.7% proficient, below both the district (56.4%) and state (55.3%). This appears to be a grade-level or cohort issue rather than a systemic problem, given that the same grade scored above the state the prior year. Science scores remain solid, with 5th graders at 72.7% proficient, slightly above the state but matching the district average. Per-pupil spending data is dated (from 2018–2019), so current resource comparisons are unavailable. Overall, Pine Level Elementary is a school that outperforms expectations given its student demographics, offering particularly strong math instruction while showing a specific area for attention in upper-grade reading.
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