Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27604

ZIP code 27604 in Raleigh contains six schools — five elementary schools and one middle school — serving roughly 3,720 students, with no high schools located within the immediate area. The schools are Neuse River Middle, Beaverdam Elementary, Conn Elementary, Wilburn Elementary, Doral Academy of North Carolina, and Brentwood Elementary. Most belong to Wake County Schools, while Doral Academy operates within its own charter district.

The academic standout is Doral Academy of North Carolina, which ranks in the 89th percentile statewide with exceptionally strong math proficiency in grades 3, 4, and 7, plus the lowest chronic absenteeism in the ZIP code at 8.3%. Among traditional public schools, Conn Elementary is the strongest option, ranking in the 81st percentile and consistently meeting or exceeding Wake County and state averages in reading, math, and science. By contrast, Wilburn Elementary ranks in the 6th percentile with proficiency rates roughly half the district average, while Neuse River Middle, the only standalone middle school in the ZIP, ranks in the 16th percentile. Beaverdam Elementary also struggles, sitting near the 31st percentile.

A clear pattern connects poverty concentration and attendance to school performance. The four highest-poverty schools all have free/reduced lunch rates above 99% and rank in the bottom half, while the two lower-poverty schools — Doral and Conn — are the top performers. Chronic absenteeism follows the same trend, from 8.3% at Doral up to 35.6% at Neuse River Middle. Brentwood Elementary spends the most per student at $12,415 and has the smallest class sizes in the area, yet it still ranks only in the 37th percentile, though its scores have improved in recent years. Families in ZIP code 27604 will find sharply different outcomes depending on which school their child attends, but the upward trends at Conn and Brentwood offer encouraging signs.