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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28147

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

2,267

Students

Top rankedWest Rowan Middle644^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools

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Biggest riser

Knollwood Elementary up 78 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 28147 in Salisbury, North Carolina contains 4 schools within the Rowan-Salisbury Schools district: Knollwood Elementary, Isenberg Elementary, and Hurley Elementary serve elementary grades, while West Rowan Middle serves middle grades — a combined enrollment of roughly 2,267 students and no high school options within the zip code. The district is ranked 199th out of 246 in North Carolina (19th percentile), and all four schools serve a high-poverty population, with free/reduced lunch eligibility from 95.3% to 99.5%.

West Rowan Middle is the top-ranked school in the zip code, sitting at the 17th state percentile. Its 8th graders posted the area's strongest 2025-26 results: 39.8% proficient in math, 47.6% in reading, and 62.4% in science — all well above district averages. Among elementary schools, Isenberg Elementary leads overall with roughly 43.4% average EOG proficiency, driven by strong 3rd grade math (51.9%) and 5th grade science (61.2%). Knollwood Elementary is the most improved school, climbing from the 1st to the 7th state percentile in three years and posting a single-year jump in 5th grade math from 27.7% to 55.3%. Hurley Elementary is the most challenged of the four, stuck near the bottom 1-2% statewide for three straight years, with just 9.6% of its 4th graders proficient in math in 2025-26.

Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern across the zip code, with Hurley Elementary at 40.6% and Isenberg Elementary at 39.6% — both above the district average of 34.2% and far above the state average of 24.2%. Spending and class sizes do not align with outcomes: Hurley Elementary spends the most per student ($10,704) and has the smallest classes (14.8:1) yet ranks lowest, while the top-ranked West Rowan Middle spends the least ($9,051) with the largest classes (18.2:1). Science is the relative academic strength in every school, but no school reached the state average in any subject during 2025-26. Overall, the zip code's schools face concentrated poverty and low proficiency, yet the upward momentum at West Rowan Middle and Knollwood Elementary offers cautious hope for improvement.

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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)				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	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
Hurley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	625 Hurley School Rd	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3038	466	31	14.8	99.4%	68 (14.6%)	176 (37.8%)	179 (38.4%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.9%)	4.6	1468^th of 1492 public elementary schools	1.6%		4	1475^th of 1490 public elementary schools	1.0%	7	14.9	9.6	26.9				23.9	24.7	30.8				48.7		$10,704	$1,927	$8,777
Knollwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3075 Shue Rd	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 857-3400	585	31	18.8	99.5%	126 (21.5%)	95 (16.2%)	318 (54.4%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	13.6	1381^st of 1492 public elementary schools	7.4%		6	1459^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.1%	78	36.7	31.0	55.3				26.6	35.3	36.0				50.6		$9,926	$1,540	$8,386
West Rowan Middle	Public	6-8	5925 Statesville Blvd	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 633-4775	707	39	18.2	98.9%	335 (47.4%)	157 (22.2%)	144 (20.4%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (8.8%)	21.3	644^th of 778 public middle schools	17.2%		18.2	656^th of 773 public middle schools	15.1%	12				35.8	29.2	39.8				35.7	36.3	47.6		62.4	$9,051	$678	$8,373
Isenberg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2800 Jake Alexander Blvd N	Salisbury	28147	Rowan County	Rowan-Salisbury Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 639-3009	509	34	15.0	95.3%	95 (18.7%)	249 (48.9%)	109 (21.4%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (9.8%)	19.9	1280^th of 1492 public elementary schools	14.2%		25	1185^th of 1490 public elementary schools	20.5%	95	51.9	42.2	31.8				45.0	43.4	28.2				61.2		$10,360	$1,726	$8,634

Cities Near Zip Code 28147

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Salisbury	2.68 mi	16	445^th
Spencer	6.18 mi	3	478^th
Faith	6.53 mi	1
Mount Ulla	6.54 mi	2	314^th
China Grove	6.58 mi	6	335^th

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.