Schools in Zip Code 27617

ZIP code 27617 in Raleigh, North Carolina contains 2 schools—Pine Hollow Middle (grades 6–8, 776 students) and Brier Creek Elementary (grades PK–5, 642 students)—both belonging to Wake County Schools, a district ranked 60 of 246 statewide, with no high schools or alternative schools located in the ZIP code.

The two schools represent opposite ends of the performance spectrum. Pine Hollow Middle is the clear standout, earning a 4-star rating at the 75th percentile statewide (ranked 191 of 778 schools). Its students average roughly 68% proficiency across tested subjects in math, reading, and science, well above the 58% state average and right in line with Wake County. Brier Creek Elementary, by contrast, holds a 1-star rating and sits at the 10th percentile (ranked 1,339 of 1,492 schools), with test proficiency averaging only about 43%—roughly 25 points lower than Pine Hollow. Particularly alarming is reading at Brier Creek, where proficiency falls from 39.3% in 3rd grade to just 34.6% in 5th grade, meaning only one in three students is reading on grade level.

Demographic and attendance data help explain the divide. Brier Creek has a 63.9% free/reduced lunch rate and a 30.5% chronic absenteeism rate, while Pine Hollow has a 33.1% free/reduced lunch rate and a 19.8% absenteeism rate, the latter below both district and state averages. Notably, Brier Creek receives more per-student funding ($9,431 vs. $8,836) and has a lower student-teacher ratio (13.4 vs. 14.9), yet results remain weak—underscoring how poverty and absenteeism matter in shaping outcomes. Pine Hollow, despite remaining a 4-star school, has seen its state percentile slip from 89th to 75th over three years. For families in 27617, school choice within the ZIP code matters enormously, and the data urge parents to look closely at the specific school their child would attend.