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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27603

At a glance

Schools

2,893

Students

Districts

Top rankedVernon Malone College and Career Academy149^th of 662 North Carolina high schools

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Biggest riser

Smith Elementary up 166 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

The Exploris School 11.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

1★

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

Zip code 27603 is served by six schools—four elementary schools, two high schools, and no standalone middle schools—enrolling about 2,893 students across Wake County Schools, The Exploris School, and Longleaf School of the Arts. Vernon Malone College and Career Academy stands out as the strongest high school overall, ranking in the 77th percentile statewide, while Vance Elementary leads the traditional elementary group at the 69th percentile. The Exploris School, a K-8 charter, offers the ZIP’s only public middle-grade pathway within an elementary-classified building.

Academic results vary widely. Among elementary schools, Vance posts the strongest math and reading averages, while Banks Road Elementary is above state averages and quietly improving—rising from the 52nd to 62nd percentile over two years. Smith Elementary, where 99.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, has the lowest proficiency rates despite receiving the highest per-pupil spending among reported schools. At the high school level, Vernon Malone outperforms state averages dramatically in biology, English II, and math, and also has the ZIP’s lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 8%. Longleaf School of the Arts excels in English II (93.3% proficient) but shows a weak 35.4% Math I proficiency and a 78.6% graduation rate, below state and district averages.

Attendance tracks achievement closely: Vance and Vernon Malone, the strongest performers, have the lowest chronic absenteeism rates, while Smith (29.7%) and Longleaf (27.0%) exceed the state average of 24.2%. The Exploris School deserves special attention for families seeking a middle school option—its 8th grade math, reading, and science scores are dramatically above state averages despite modest elementary-level results. Families in this ZIP should also recognize that district averages mask big gaps; all Wake County schools here belong to a top-ranked district, yet Smith sits in the bottom quarter of elementary schools statewide. Comparing schools side by side on academics, attendance, and graduation outcomes is essential when choosing where to enroll.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
The Exploris School	Public, Charter	K-8	401 Hillsborough St.	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	The Exploris School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 715-3690	448	38	11.7		283 (63.2%)	77 (17.2%)	34 (7.6%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	47 (10.5%)	54.9	656^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.0%		62.7	516^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.4%	140					48.7	44.7	60.6	66.7	60.3	73.2	48.7	57.9	73.5	63.3	70.1	78.6	73.5	85.7
Longleaf School of the Arts	Public, Charter	9-12	322 Chapanoke Road	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Longleaf School of the Arts	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 896-8164	405	32	12.6		254 (62.7%)	74 (18.3%)	48 (11.9%)	8 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.9%)	65.6	215^th of 662 public high schools	67.5%		73	164^th of 641 public high schools	74.4%	51	78.0	93.3	35.4	68.8
Smith Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1101 Maxwell Drive	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 662-2458	596	46	12.9	99.5%	120 (20.1%)	153 (25.7%)	255 (42.8%)	38 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	25 (4.2%)	28.7	1120^th of 1492 public elementary schools	24.9%		19.6	1286^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.7%	166					55.0	50.6	54.8				45.9	43.8	49.2				46.8		$12,653	$1,489	$11,164
Vance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8808 Old Stage Rd	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 662-2472	445	34	13.1	42.9%	271 (60.9%)	36 (8.1%)	106 (23.8%)	9 (2.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.7%)	67.6	460^th of 1492 public elementary schools	69.2%		68.4	416^th of 1490 public elementary schools	72.1%	44					61.0	71.4	75.4				55.8	68.6	67.7				73.8		$10,698	$656	$10,042
Banks Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10225 Chambers Rd	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 890-7333	651	47	13.8	45.8%	299 (45.9%)	97 (14.9%)	186 (28.6%)	35 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (4.9%)	60.9	566^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.1%		54.9	656^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.0%	90					72.8	66.1	59.6				58.3	66.1	56.4				64.9		$9,294	$381	$8,914
Vernon Malone College and Career Academy	Public	9-12	2200 S Wilmington St	Raleigh	27603	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 856-8119	348	22	15.8	45.1%	90 (25.9%)	136 (39.1%)	90 (25.9%)	11 (3.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.2%)	78.1	149^th of 662 public high schools	77.5%		78.1	141^st of 641 public high schools	78.0%	8	83.3	91.8	55.6	79.7															$12,204	$705	$11,499

Cities Near Zip Code 27603

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Raleigh	0.42 mi	108	176^th
Garner	1.45 mi	14	254^th
Cary	5.19 mi	34	50^th
Apex	6.32 mi	23	26^th
Fuquay Varina	7.27 mi	14	139^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.