Schools in Zip Code 27830

ZIP code 27830 in North Carolina is served by two public schools in Wayne County Public Schools: Fremont Elementary (PK–5, 535 students) and Norwayne Middle (6–8, 848 students), both with very high poverty rates around 99% free/reduced-price lunch, and no high school in the immediate area.

These two schools tell different stories. Fremont Elementary is the standout improver: its state rank jumped from the 43rd to the 61st percentile in one year, earning a 3-star rating. Fremont posted broad gains in every subject, including a remarkable +24.2 point jump in 5th grade science and a +10.6 point gain in math. Its 3rd grade math proficiency of 83.5% far exceeds both district and state averages, while its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.7% is actually below the state rate. In contrast, Norwayne Middle has slipped from the 62nd to the 49th percentile over two years despite some strong 8th grade results in math (64.8%) and science (71.8%). Its major red flag is chronic absenteeism at 37.5%—more than one in three students—and a puzzling 7th grade math proficiency of just 42.0%, far below its 6th and 8th grade math scores.

Reading is the common weakness at both schools, trailing math and science proficiency by wide margins. Fremont Elementary spends about $11,245 per student with a 15.6 student-teacher ratio, while Norwayne Middle spends $8,110 per student with a ratio of 19.5. These resource differences align with Fremont’s stronger recent improvement, though the spending data is from 2018–19. Both schools prove high poverty does not prevent high performance, especially in math and science, but literacy and chronic absenteeism remain the key challenges parents should watch.