Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28040

Zip code 28040 contains just one school, Ellenboro Elementary School, a PK–5 elementary school serving 567 students in Rutherford County, making it the only public school option in this area and meaning families will need to travel outside the zip code for middle and high school. Ellenboro Elementary is a standout for its ability to achieve strong academic results despite serving a student body where 97.35% qualify for free/reduced lunch, a very high poverty indicator. The school holds a consistent 4-star rating and ranks in the 83rd–89th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools over the past three school years, placing it well above the Rutherford County Schools district-wide standing of the 71st percentile.

Math is clearly the school's greatest strength. In 2025–2026, Ellenboro Elementary outperformed the state by roughly 20 percentage points in every grade level: 88.0% proficiency in 3rd grade, 83.5% in 4th grade, and 82.1% in 5th grade, compared with statewide rates of 66.4%, 61.4%, and 62.9%. The school also beat its own district by increasingly wide margins in upper elementary math, rising from 7.5 points above the district in 3rd grade to 16.1 points above in 5th grade. Reading results are more mixed: 4th-grade reading is excellent at 80.0% proficiency, far above the state's 57.7%, but 3rd-grade reading (62.6%) actually falls below the district average, and 5th-grade reading (60.3%) is only modestly above state averages. Science is another strength, with 83.3% of 5th graders proficient compared with 67.7% statewide.

The most pressing concern is chronic absenteeism: 26.7% of students are chronically absent, better than the district's 38.1% but worse than the state's 24.2%. Given the school's high poverty rate, attendance barriers such as transportation and health issues may play a role. Between the last two school years, math and 5th-grade science improved, and 4th-grade reading jumped 9.1 points, but 3rd-grade and 5th-grade reading declined. Overall, Ellenboro Elementary is a strong, beat-the-odds school where math excellence is the foundation of its success; improving early and late elementary reading plus reducing absenteeism are the clearest paths to even higher statewide rankings.