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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28079

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

8,078

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedPoplin Elementary123^rd of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Indian Trail Elementary up 93 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Poplin Elementary 14.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

The 28079 zip code in Indian Trail, NC contains 8 schools serving approximately 8,078 students in grades K-12: four elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and one alternative K-12 academy, with seven schools belonging to Union County Public Schools and one school operating as part of the Union Preparatory Academy at Indian Trail district.

Poplin Elementary stands out as the top overall performer, earning a 5-star rating for three consecutive years, ranking in the 92nd percentile statewide, and posting math proficiency rates above 85% in every grade tested. At the middle school level, Sun Valley Middle has pulled ahead of Porter Ridge Middle, surging from the 59th to the 86th percentile since 2023-24 and now outperforming it in every subject area despite carrying the highest free/reduced lunch rate (54.4%) and chronic absenteeism rate (23.3%) in the cluster. Porter Ridge Middle has conversely slipped from a 91st-percentile, 5-star school in 2023-24 to a 77th-percentile, 4-star school in 2025-26. Hemby Bridge Elementary remains solid at the 78th percentile, while Porter Ridge Elementary lags at the 60th percentile with reading proficiency below state averages. Porter Ridge High School posted the strongest year-over-year gains, lifting biology proficiency from 49.9% to 68.2% and outperforming the district in both Math I and Math III.

Reading is the area's most consistent weakness, with several schools falling below the UCPS district average in elementary and middle school reading even while math and science remain relative strengths. Sun Valley Middle is a particularly notable counterexample to demographic assumptions, achieving top rankings despite serving a higher-need population. Union Prep Academy at Indian Trail also posts strong metrics, including a 93.2% graduation rate, an 11.0% chronic absenteeism rate, and 8th-grade math proficiency of 85.5%, making it a compelling alternative option. Overall, 28079 is a strong school market by state standards, anchored by Poplin Elementary, Sun Valley Middle, and an improving Porter Ridge High School, but the differences between the top-performing and lower-performing schools in this zip code are substantial, and school boundaries make a meaningful difference in outcomes.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Union Prep Academy at Indian Trail	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2324 Younts Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union Preparatory Academy at Indian Trai	Yes	No	No	Yes	(704) 893-3607	1,268	27	46.9	43.7%	567 (44.7%)	253 (20.0%)	258 (20.3%)	78 (6.2%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	103 (8.1%)								(n/a)	57.1	76.4	57.1	78.0	78.9	70.7	74.8	70.3	68.1	85.5	65.6	70.1	69.9	63.3	66.7	76.4	71.8	74.5
Hemby Bridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6701 Indian Trl-Fairview Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-6352	491	32	15.3	35.0%	276 (56.2%)	50 (10.2%)	75 (15.3%)	67 (13.6%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.9%)	74.8	326^th of 1492 public elementary schools	78.2%		80.8	236^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.2%	90					80.0	75.3	81.2				62.5	63.6	61.4				72.3		$9,610	$803	$8,807
Indian Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Education Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3095	633	42	15.0	50.6%	335 (52.9%)	76 (12.0%)	149 (23.5%)	25 (3.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.3%)	66.4	481^st of 1492 public elementary schools	67.8%		59.4	574^th of 1490 public elementary schools	61.5%	93					68.4	76.5	71.3				54.1	57.8	60.4				78.2		$8,736	$366	$8,370
Sun Valley Middle	Public	6-8	1409 Wesley Chapel Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-3009	909	56	16.3	54.3%	441 (48.5%)	177 (19.5%)	213 (23.4%)	29 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (5.2%)	82.1	112^th of 778 public middle schools	85.6%		81.8	119^th of 773 public middle schools	84.6%	7								78.4	81.8	71.9				65.2	67.6	68.4		80.3	$7,578	$417	$7,161
Porter Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2843 Ridge Road	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 289-1965	765	47	16.2	56.6%	283 (37.0%)	152 (19.9%)	241 (31.5%)	45 (5.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.6%)	59.3	596^th of 1492 public elementary schools	60.1%		58.5	590^th of 1490 public elementary schools	60.4%	6					64.7	76.7	72.0				51.7	54.1	53.8				71.2		$9,258	$549	$8,709
Porter Ridge High School	Public	9-12	2839 Ridge Road	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 292-7662	1,809	93	19.4	39.4%	869 (48.0%)	280 (15.5%)	492 (27.2%)	64 (3.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	101 (5.6%)	71.8	177^th of 662 public high schools	73.3%		67	189^th of 641 public high schools	70.5%	12	68.2	78.8	60.5	86.8															$7,458	$458	$7,000
Porter Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	2827 Ridge Road	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 225-7555	1,447	63	23.0	39.7%	688 (47.5%)	191 (13.2%)	349 (24.1%)	118 (8.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (6.9%)	75.2	177^th of 778 public middle schools	77.2%		79.7	139^th of 773 public middle schools	82.0%	38								74.8	68.8	67.4				68.4	67.0	62.9		71.1	$7,814	$463	$7,351
Poplin Elementary	Public	K-5	5627 Poplin Rd	Indian Trail	28079	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-0320	756	51	14.9	35.6%	430 (56.9%)	109 (14.4%)	125 (16.5%)	28 (3.7%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.3%)	89.5	123^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	91.8%		88	137^th of 1490 public elementary schools	90.8%	14					92.4	88.0	85.4				75.2	75.2	65.0				85.4		$9,772	$606	$9,166

Cities Near Zip Code 28079

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Indian Trail	0.94 mi	8	71^st
Monroe	2.02 mi	24	153^rd
Stallings	2.03 mi	1	9^th
Matthews	2.8 mi	14	55^th
Mint Hill	4.98 mi	4	233^rd

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.