Summary:
Zip code 27803 (Rocky Mount, NC) is served by three public schools — G R Edwards Elementary (K-5), Rocky Mount High (9-12), and Nash Everywhere Digital Academy (6-12) — all operating under Nash County Public Schools, a district that already ranks below the state midpoint. Every school in this zip code lands in the bottom 13% of its school-type ranking, and nearly all proficiency rates fall well below district and state averages.
G R Edwards Elementary is the most academically challenged, ranking in the 2nd percentile with a 0-star rating. Its 3rd through 5th grade reading and math proficiency rates range from roughly 25% to 42%, far off state averages near 60%. About 97.8% of its students are low-income, and 39.6% are chronically absent. Rocky Mount High, the largest school here with over 1,000 students, also has a near-universal poverty rate (97.7% FRPL) and a 1-star rating. It graduates about 84.9% of students, but only 16.4% are proficient in Math I. Nash Everywhere Digital Academy is the smallest school and stands slightly apart: its poverty rate is lower (74.1%), and its 6th grade reading proficiency (66.7%) actually beats the state average. However, its graduation rate is just 69.0%, and its Math I proficiency is a low 6.7%.
Chronic absenteeism is a major concern everywhere, ranging from 32.6% at the digital academy to about 39% at the two traditional schools — all well above the state's 24.2% rate. The most urgent red flag is Algebra readiness: Math I proficiency sits at 16.4% at Rocky Mount High and only 6.7% at NEDA, against a 42.1% state average. That means most high school students in this zip code are not demonstrating on-grade-level math skills, even among those who graduate. A few narrow bright spots, like NEDA's 6th grade reading, do not change the overall picture of low proficiency, high poverty, and severe attendance challenges across 27803.
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