Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28054

There are 8 schools in ZIP code 28054, serving about 6,164 students from pre-K through 12th grade and covering elementary, middle, high, and alternative levels. Most are in Gaston County Schools; the exception is Piedmont Community Charter School, which is its own charter district. The school community is split between a few very strong schools and a larger group where families face real challenges around poverty, chronic absenteeism, and below-average test scores.

Hawks Nest STEAM Academy is the strongest elementary in the area, ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide with an average proficiency around 80.6%, well ahead of district and state averages. Piedmont Community Charter School also stands out: its Math III EOC proficiency is 97%, English II is 80.5%, and chronic absenteeism is only 9.3%, with a graduation rate of 92.8%. Sherwood Elementary is the most improved school, jumping from the 5th to 27th percentile in one year, and while it still has a nearly universal free/reduced lunch rate, 4th grade math and 5th grade science scores moved sharply upward. At the other end, Warlick Academy is the most challenged school in the ZIP code, with a 23.9% graduation rate, 61.5% chronic absenteeism, and average proficiency around 12.2%. Ashbrook High, W.P. Grier Middle, Gardner Park Elementary, and Brookside Elementary mostly fall below state averages, with proficiency in the 37-45% range and rankings in the low percentile.

Low attendance and low achievement often move together, but Brookside Elementary is an exception: chronic absenteeism is the lowest among Gaston County Schools in the ZIP code at 18.6%, yet test scores remain low. Middle school math is a consistent weak spot in traditional schools, while Piedmont Community Charter School shows much stronger results. A high graduation rate can also hide low academic readiness: Ashbrook High graduates about 89.1% of students, but less than half show proficiency in math and biology. Overall, the ZIP code has strong options in Hawks Nest STEAM Academy and Piedmont Community Charter School, while Sherwood Elementary’s improvement is evidence that high-poverty schools can make real gains. Warlick Academy remains the area’s greatest need.