Summary:
ZIP code 28098 contains exactly one elementary school: Lowell Elementary, serving 367 students in grades PK–5 in the Lowell, North Carolina area within Gaston County Schools. Since no other elementary school exists in this ZIP, the most useful comparisons are against district and state averages, along with Lowell Elementary's own performance over time.
Lowell Elementary is a high-poverty school, with 99.18% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, yet its chronic absenteeism rate of 16.6% is far better than the district's 23.2% and the state's 24.2%. In the 2025–2026 school year, 5th grade results stood out sharply: 74.1% proficiency in math, 63.8% in reading, and 84.5% in science — all above district and state averages. Fifth grade science finished nearly 20 points above the district and about 17 points above the state. Lower grades, however, lagged: 3rd grade math was 46.8% versus 66.4% statewide, and 3rd grade reading was 41.9% versus 55.6% statewide.
Lowell Elementary's state ranking slipped from a 3-star rating at the 55th percentile in 2024–2025 to a 2-star rating at the 48th percentile in 2025–2026, driven largely by the weaker 3rd and 4th grade results. A cohort effect appears to explain the pattern: the group scoring 65.5% in math and 56.4% in reading as 4th graders in 2024–2025 improved to 74.1% and 63.8% as 5th graders in 2025–2026. With only 367 students schoolwide, single classrooms can strongly affect proficiency swings. The spending figure of $8,896 per student is from 2018–2019 and should be used cautiously. Overall, Lowell Elementary offers strong attendance and standout upper-grade achievement, with clear room for growth in early elementary reading and math.
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