Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28016

ZIP code 28016 is served by three elementary schools in Gaston County Schools — Bessemer City Primary (PK–2, 445 students), Bessemer City Central Elementary (3–5, 392 students), and Tryon Elementary (PK–5, 336 students) — serving 1,173 students in a highly economically disadvantaged area where 97–99% qualify for free/reduced-price lunch and chronic absenteeism runs between 21.2% and 26.1%. Since North Carolina's EOG exams begin in 3rd grade, Bessemer City Primary has no academic test data, while Bessemer City Central Elementary and Tryon Elementary can be compared directly.

Tryon Elementary is the standout, holding a 1-star state rating and sitting near the 17th percentile statewide — low overall but far ahead of Bessemer City Central Elementary's 5th percentile. Tryon outperforms Bessemer City Central Elementary in every tested grade and subject: math proficiency averages 47.3% versus 36.1%, reading 41.7% versus 33.9%, and 5th-grade science 54.1% versus 47.6%. Tryon also has the lowest chronic absenteeism (21.2%), lowest student-teacher ratio (12.7), and highest per-student spending ($11,346). Bessemer City Central Elementary is the greatest area of concern, ranking near the bottom of North Carolina schools; its 3rd-grade reading proficiency is just 28.5%, compared with 46.4% districtwide and 55.6% statewide. It also has the largest classes (16.0 students per teacher) and lowest per-student spending ($8,603).

Bessemer City Primary serves only PK–2, but its 26.1% chronic absenteeism and 99.33% free/reduced-price lunch rate are early-warning signs, since attendance problems in early grades often predict later reading struggles. All three schools serve nearly identical poverty populations, yet Tryon Elementary's students score meaningfully higher, so poverty alone does not explain the gap. Resource differences align with outcomes: Tryon Elementary has the smallest classes and highest spending, while Bessemer City Central Elementary has the largest classes and lowest spending. Encouragingly, Bessemer City Central Elementary improved sharply in several subjects from 2024–25 to 2025–26, including a +14.3-point gain in 5th-grade science, but it remains in the bottom 5% of the state. Even Tryon Elementary, the strongest local school, sits near the 17th percentile statewide — these schools reflect a broader underperformance pattern across Gaston County Schools.