Summary:
Zip code 27597 is served by 5 schools enrolling about 3,994 students in Pre-K through 12th grade, drawing from Wake County Schools, Johnston County Public Schools, and the K-12 charter East Wake Academy, which operates as its own district. East Wake Academy is the academic leader and the only high school option in the zip code, exceeding state proficiency in nearly every EOG subject, with 13.3% chronic absenteeism and a 93.8% graduation rate, though its Math I EOC score (41.0) sits slightly below the state average.
Among traditional public schools, Wakelon Elementary stands out, outperforming the state in 6 of 7 EOG categories and climbing from the 47th to the 67th percentile over three years. Corinth-Holders Elementary is a solid mid-tier school with strong math and science scores, but its reading results are a major concern: 5th grade science (74.1) exceeds 5th grade reading (49.1) by 25 points. At the bottom, Zebulon Elementary (29th percentile) and Zebulon Middle (34th percentile) trail district and state averages in every subject, and Zebulon Middle's chronic absenteeism of 28.9% is the highest in the zip code.
Because all four traditional public schools report about 99.5% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, these gaps are not primarily about poverty. Wakelon Elementary and Zebulon Elementary serve nearly identical demographics, yet Wakelon's average 3rd–5th grade EOG proficiency is about 15 points higher, suggesting attendance and school-level practices matter. Reading is the most urgent need at the two Zebulon schools and at Corinth-Holders, while chronic absenteeism aligns closely with achievement. There is no traditional public high school in 27597, so East Wake Academy's results carry outsized importance for local families.
Thank you for your feedback!