Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28034

ZIP code 28034 (Dallas, NC) has six schools — two elementary, one middle, and three high schools — serving about 3,183 students in Gaston County Schools. This zip code functions as two very different school worlds. Carr Elementary, Costner Elementary, W C Friday Middle School, and North Gaston High serve populations where more than 99% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting concentrated poverty. The exceptions are the academically selective early colleges, Gaston Early College High School and Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, which enroll more mixed-income students and achieve results among the best in the state.

The two early-college high schools are clear standouts: Gaston Early College High School ranks #2 in North Carolina and Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences ranks #7, both earning five stars and posting 100% proficiency on their reported End-of-Course exams in 2025–2026. Their chronic absenteeism rates (5.1% and 9.2%) are far below district (23.2%) and state (24.2%) averages, though they also have the largest class sizes (21.8:1). By contrast, North Gaston High ranks in the bottom 22% of high schools statewide, with proficiency far below state averages — most strikingly in Math I, where just 32% of students are proficient — and a 31.5% chronic absenteeism rate. Yet North Gaston High’s graduation rate of 90.6% tops both the district and state, raising questions about college and career readiness among its graduates.

At the elementary level, Carr Elementary generally outperforms Costner Elementary despite larger classes (16.9 vs. 14.1) and lower per-pupil spending ($8,907 vs. $9,693), exceeding state averages in 3rd and 5th grade math. Middle school is the weakest link, with W C Friday Middle School trailing district and state averages in nearly every subject, especially in 7th grade math and reading. Encouragingly, attendance tracks achievement across all schools, and several campuses posted strong year-over-year gains — W C Friday jumped from 35.8% to 56.9% in 8th grade science, and Carr made large gains in 5th grade science and 3rd grade reading. For families in 28034, the early colleges are elite options that require an application, while the traditional schools face the ongoing challenge of supporting an almost universally low-income student body.