Summary:
ZIP code 27986, located in the Winton, NC area, is served by exactly one high school—Cs Brown High - STEM Program—which enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and belongs to Hertford County Schools, a district currently ranked in the bottom quarter of North Carolina districts. This is a very small school with about 100 students, and 97% come from economically disadvantaged households, making its results all the more notable.
The standout finding is that Cs Brown High - STEM Program outperforms its district in every tested End-of-Course subject in both recent reporting years. For example, in the 2025-26 school year, 71% of its students were proficient in Biology versus 54.8% for the district, and Math III proficiency reached 81.8% versus 77.8% districtwide. In that same year, the school also beat the state average in Biology, Math I, and Math III, but English II was slightly below the state average (62.5% vs. 64.6%). In the prior year, the school exceeded the state average in all four subjects, including a striking Math I result of 68.8% proficient versus 34.4% statewide. The school also reported a chronic absenteeism rate of just 16.8%, far below the district's 38.2% and the state's 24.2% despite its high poverty rate.
Parents should be aware that this school's strengths come with some volatility. Its statewide rank has declined over three years, from the 79th percentile (4 stars) in 2023-24 to the 62nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-26, and Math I proficiency dropped sharply from 68.8% to 47.8% in one year—a swing likely magnified by the very small student body. The school also spends about $21,553 per student, which reflects the fixed costs of running a small program. Overall, Cs Brown High - STEM Program is a strong academic choice within its district, particularly for math and science, and its low absenteeism suggests students are engaged, but families should interpret year-to-year score changes with caution given the small number of students behind each result.
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