Summary:
ZIP code 28072 contains just one elementary school, Granite Quarry Elementary, serving grades PK–5 in the Salisbury, NC area, and this overview focuses on how that single school compares with its district and state benchmarks.
Granite Quarry Elementary is an extremely high-needs school, with 99.49% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a chronic absenteeism rate of 31.3%—higher than the state’s 24.2% but slightly better than the district’s 34.2%. The school consistently ranks in the bottom fifth of North Carolina elementary schools, earning a 1-star rating and a 14th-percentile ranking for 2025-2026. Every test score falls below the state average, with the largest gaps in 4th-grade Math (34.4% vs. 61.4% statewide) and 3rd-grade Reading (30.5% vs. 55.6% statewide). Despite this, the school outperforms its district, Rowan-Salisbury Schools (ranked 199 out of 246 districts), in 4th-grade Reading (49.0% vs. 42.8%) and 5th-grade Reading (41.6% vs. 40.4%).
There are encouraging signs of momentum. Six of seven reported subject areas improved year over year, including notable jumps in 5th-grade Science (+10.2 points to 55.7%) and 4th-grade Reading (+7.0 points to 49.0%). The only decline was a slight dip in 5th-grade Reading, from 43.0% to 41.6%. Chronic absenteeism remains a major concern given that nearly one in three students was absent in 2024-2025, and middle-grade math is the weakest area, signaling a need for targeted intervention before middle school. While the school’s statewide percentile ticked upward from 13% to 14%, the one-star rating and overall performance level remain low. Parents considering this area should weigh the school’s significant poverty challenges and attendance issues against the recent improvements and the fact that it leads its district in reading scores at some grade levels.
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