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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28173

At a glance

Schools

11,078

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedMarvin Ridge Middle13^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools

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Biggest riser

Cuthbertson Middle up 14 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Western Union Elementary 14.5 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:

ZIP code 28173, covering the Waxhaw and Marvin communities of North Carolina, contains 12 public schools within Union County Public Schools — seven elementary schools (Kensington Elementary, New Town Elementary, Marvin Elementary, Rea View Elementary, Waxhaw Elementary, Western Union Elementary, Sandy Ridge Elementary), two middle schools (Cuthbertson Middle, Marvin Ridge Middle), two traditional high schools (Cuthbertson High, Marvin Ridge High), and the 91-student alternative school South Providence (grades 6–12) — for a total enrollment of 11,078. The district itself ranks 43rd of 246 in North Carolina, earning 4 stars, and most of these schools perform well above state averages.

The ZIP code’s elite performers are concentrated on the Marvin Ridge side. Sandy Ridge Elementary, Rea View Elementary, and Marvin Elementary rank in the 99th percentile of North Carolina elementary schools; Marvin Ridge Middle and Cuthbertson Middle sit in the 98th percentile of middle schools; and Marvin Ridge High posts the strongest test scores anywhere in 28173, including 97.9% English II, 97.3% Math III, and 91.6% Biology proficiency. Yet achievement gaps are wide: Sandy Ridge’s 5th-grade math proficiency is 97.2%, versus 58.3% at Western Union Elementary and 73.8% at Waxhaw Elementary. Waxhaw Elementary ranks 467th statewide with 3 stars and reading proficiency as low as 54.4%, while Cuthbertson High still beats district and state averages in every tested subject.

Two findings matter most for parents. First, poverty and attendance track strongly with outcomes: the top schools have free/reduced lunch rates of 4–7% and chronic absenteeism of 5–6%, while Waxhaw Elementary (48.8% free/reduced lunch, 19.2% chronic absenteeism) and Western Union Elementary (40.6%) serve much higher-need populations. Second, spending does not predict performance — Waxhaw Elementary and Western Union Elementary spend the most per pupil among conventional schools, while Cuthbertson Middle spends the least ($6,904) and ranks among the state’s best. The outlier is South Providence, a 91-student alternative program with a 14.8% graduation rate, 50.5% chronic absenteeism, and $32,317 per-pupil spending; it should be evaluated separately from the area’s traditional schools.

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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
South Providence	Public	6-12	500 South Providence Street	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1580	91	21	4.3	96.7%	23 (25.3%)	44 (48.4%)	15 (16.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.9%)								(n/a)	338.9	535.1	537.2	541.4				9.1	25.0	7.1				9.1	25.0	542.8		11.1	$32,317	$2,219	$30,098
Waxhaw Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1101 Old Providence Rd	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1590	615	41	15.0	48.8%	394 (64.1%)	67 (10.9%)	92 (15.0%)	15 (2.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.3%)	67.1	467^th of 1492 public elementary schools	68.7%		67.3	439^th of 1490 public elementary schools	70.5%	28					64.4	69.3	73.8				54.4	61.8	63.1				79.6		$9,582	$657	$8,925
Western Union Elementary	Public	K-5	4111 Western Union Sch Rd	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-6355	539	37	14.5	40.6%	340 (63.1%)	65 (12.1%)	99 (18.4%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (5.2%)	53.4	677^th of 1492 public elementary schools	54.6%		53.8	673^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	54.8%	4					68.1	72.3	58.3				54.9	61.4	50.0				62.5		$9,869	$511	$9,358
Marvin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9700 Marvin School Rd	Marvin	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-6357	666	46	14.5	4.4%	361 (54.2%)	42 (6.3%)	47 (7.1%)	176 (26.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.3%)	96.9	19^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.7%		97.7	10^th of 1490 public elementary schools	99.3%	9					93.3	92.4	92.9				83.8	91.6	90.8				91.5		$8,481	$307	$8,174
Kensington Elementary	Public	K-5	8701 Kensington Drive	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1500	901	57	15.8	12.0%	595 (66.0%)	61 (6.8%)	93 (10.3%)	99 (11.0%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	48 (5.3%)	94	59^th of 1492 public elementary schools	96.0%		94.2	58^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.1%	1					86.6	91.1	89.2				71.6	86.4	81.7				90.8		$7,723	$344	$7,379
Sandy Ridge Elementary	Public	K-5	10101 Waxhaw Manor Drive	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1505	528	34	15.5	7.2%	283 (53.6%)	33 (6.3%)	33 (6.3%)	150 (28.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (5.1%)	97.2	11^th of 1492 public elementary schools	99.3%		98.2	5^th of 1490 public elementary schools	99.7%	6					90.6	94.7	97.2				84.7	87.2	90.6				95.3		$9,036	$563	$8,473
Rea View Elementary	Public	K-5	320 Reid Dairy Road	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1524	629	40	15.7	5.4%	452 (71.9%)	18 (2.9%)	36 (5.7%)	98 (15.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	96.9	18^th of 1492 public elementary schools	98.8%		97.5	14^th of 1490 public elementary schools	99.1%	4					90.2	90.8	94.8				87.0	93.3	87.8				93.0		$8,855	$523	$8,331
New Town Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1100 Waxhaw-Indian Tr. Rd.	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1525	691	47	14.7	10.9%	493 (71.3%)	43 (6.2%)	71 (10.3%)	61 (8.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.0%)	93.7	64^th of 1492 public elementary schools	95.7%		96.1	39^th of 1490 public elementary schools	97.4%	25					91.3	87.3	93.3				79.1	88.2	77.6				83.6		$8,693	$723	$7,971
Marvin Ridge High	Public	9-12	2825 Crane Road	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1520	1,961	97	20.3	4.3%	1,193 (60.8%)	88 (4.5%)	97 (4.9%)	487 (24.8%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	91 (4.6%)	92	49^th of 662 public high schools	92.6%		93.9	38^th of 641 public high schools	94.1%	11	91.6	97.9	87.9	97.3															$7,144	$260	$6,884
Marvin Ridge Middle	Public	6-8	2831 Crane Road	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 290-1510	1,277	64	19.9	4.5%	723 (56.6%)	58 (4.5%)	75 (5.9%)	344 (26.9%)	4 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	71 (5.6%)	97.2	13^th of 778 public middle schools	98.3%		98.2	7^th of 773 public middle schools	99.1%	6								560.3	94.5	91.7				88.0	91.8	87.3		94.6	$7,118	$318	$6,800
Cuthbertson High	Public	9-12	1400 Cuthbertson Rd	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-0105	1,857	82	22.7	10.2%	1,324 (71.3%)	112 (6.0%)	175 (9.4%)	171 (9.2%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	70 (3.8%)	85.6	101^st of 662 public high schools	84.7%		87.4	94^th of 641 public high schools	85.3%	7	84.4	93.2	69.4	90.4															$7,116	$416	$6,700
Cuthbertson Middle	Public	6-8	1520 Cuthbertson Rd	Waxhaw	28173	Union County	Union County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 296-0107	1,323	59	22.4	11.0%	875 (66.1%)	78 (5.9%)	125 (9.4%)	176 (13.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	66 (5.0%)	96.4	19^th of 778 public middle schools	97.6%		95.1	33^rd of 773 public middle schools	95.7%	14								91.1	90.4	90.8				84.5	86.2	85.5		94.5	$6,904	$387	$6,516

Cities Near Zip Code 28173

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Waxhaw	0.59 mi	12	17^th
Matthews	5.05 mi	14	55^th
Monroe	6.21 mi	24	153^rd
Marvin	6.41 mi	1	1^st
Charlotte	8.57 mi	185	282^nd

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.