Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28204

ZIP code 28204 contains just one elementary school — Elizabeth Traditional Elementary — serving grades K through 5 in Charlotte as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The school enrolls 409 students and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 14.2 to 1. Nearly all students (99.27%) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making it a high-poverty school. Despite that, the school earns a 3-star state rating and currently ranks 477 of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools, placing it in the 68th percentile; the prior year it ranked 409 of 1,490 (73rd percentile, 4 stars).

The school is academically competitive. In the most recent EOG testing, it beat the state in five of seven subject and grade categories. Its greatest strength is 5th-grade science, where 82.1% of students are proficient compared with 70.9% in the district and 67.7% statewide. Fifth-grade reading (67.9%) and math (69.2%) also exceed district and state averages by wide margins. Third graders made sharp gains, with reading proficiency rising from 53.6% to 64.6% and math from 62.3% to 72.0%. The one weak spot is the current 4th-grade class, which trails district and state averages in both reading and math. Context matters: last year’s 4th-grade class was actually the strongest in the school, so these swings look like normal cohort effects rather than a change in school quality.

The most striking finding is attendance. Although the student body is nearly 100% economically disadvantaged, chronic absenteeism is only 15.1%, far below Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ 26.8% and the state’s 24.2% — a sign of strong engagement and effective attendance support. The school also outperforms its own district’s overall standing: the district ranks in the 57th percentile of North Carolina districts, while Elizabeth Traditional Elementary sits in the 68th percentile of elementary schools statewide. With standout science and upper-grade reading results, an upper-third ranking, and low chronic absenteeism despite high poverty, this is a resilient and competitive school for families in ZIP code 28204.