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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28217

New rankings! North Carolina test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

3,626

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedMetrolina Regional Scholars Academy1^st of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

South Academy of International Languages up 25 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Elbert Edwin Waddell High School 8.7 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Movement School Southwest and 1 more

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

3★

1★

0★

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

Zip code 28217, in the Charlotte area, is served by seven schools spanning elementary through high school grades and enrolling roughly 3,600 students, with five campuses run by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and three charter schools operating with independent districts. There are no standalone middle schools; instead, South Academy of International Languages and Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy combine elementary and middle grades, while Elbert Edwin Waddell High School and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School serve older students.

The educational landscape here is one of dramatic contrasts. Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy holds the #1 elementary/middle school ranking in North Carolina, with proficiency rates at or near 100% in multiple subjects. Among CMS options, South Academy of International Languages is the clear standout: rated five stars, ranked in the 92nd percentile statewide, and posting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (8.2%) in the ZIP. At the opposite end, Nations Ford Elementary ranks in the bottom 3% of North Carolina elementary schools, Movement School Southwest sits in the bottom 5%, and Steele Creek Preparatory Academy falls in the bottom 11%.

Economic disadvantage and attendance vary widely across these schools. Nations Ford serves a student body with a 99.5% free/reduced-lunch rate, compared with 34.1% at South Academy. Chronic absenteeism ranges from 8.2% at South Academy to 43.5% at Waddell High School, which also has a graduation rate of just 56.4%. By contrast, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School graduates 94.5% of its students. Notably, Nations Ford's absenteeism rate of 23.3% is actually below the district and state averages, suggesting its academic struggles are not driven primarily by attendance. Another red flag is Steele Creek Preparatory Academy's reported student-teacher ratio of roughly 42:1 — more than double that of any other school in the area. Families in 28217 will find vastly different educational experiences depending on which school their child attends.

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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
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	5225 Seventy-seven Center Dr	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy	Yes	No	No	No	(704) 503-1112	396	27	14.4		61 (15.4%)	18 (4.5%)	12 (3.0%)	281 (71.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.1%)	99.2	1^st of 1492 public elementary schools	99.9%		99.2	1^st of 1490 public elementary schools	99.9%							97.7				97.8	97.7	100.0		99.9	99.9	100.0	100.0	100.0
Steele Creek Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2200 Shopton Road	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Steele Creek Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(980) 243-5580	335	8	41.8	89.9%	6 (1.8%)	220 (65.7%)	82 (24.5%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)	17.7	1325^th of 1492 public elementary schools	11.2%		21.6	1251^st of 1490 public elementary schools	16.0%	74					45.2	19.1	16.7	54.3	55.6	40.9	45.2	31.9	30.6	60.0	63.0	63.6	30.6	68.2
Movement School Southwest	Public, Charter	K-4	150 Osprey Point Dr.	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Movement School Southwest	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 420-7980	284	18	15.5	96.8%	4 (1.4%)	193 (68.0%)	66 (23.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.7%)	10.5	1414^th of 1492 public elementary schools	5.2%					(n/a)					42.9	36.7					35.7	33.3
Nations Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7050 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5838	610	37	16.5	99.5%	21 (3.4%)	106 (17.4%)	472 (77.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.3%)	7.2	1450^th of 1492 public elementary schools	2.8%		4.9	1472^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	1.2%	22					44.8	35.8	35.7				26.4	26.6	25.3				45.2		$9,317	$1,154	$8,163
South Academy of International Languages	Public, Magnet	K-8	8300 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5815	1,259	85	14.7	34.1%	421 (33.4%)	230 (18.3%)	418 (33.2%)	72 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (9.4%)	89.8	117^th of 1492 public elementary schools	92.2%		87.7	142^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	90.5%	25					93.5	93.2	88.2	72.3	68.6	66.9	81.5	87.4	69.3	66.5	70.2	67.7	88.2	82.0	$9,365	$441	$8,925
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School	Public	5-12	7030 Nations Ford Road	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3066	619	36	17.3	50.6%	137 (22.1%)	283 (45.7%)	152 (24.6%)	18 (2.9%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	24 (3.9%)	53	307^th of 662 public high schools	53.6%		56.1	256^th of 641 public high schools	60.1%	51	70.6	76.1	47.6	57.1				44.0	43.3	40.7				60.0	61.2	57.0		62.8	$6,482	$435	$6,047
Elbert Edwin Waddell High School	Public	9-12	7030 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(980) 343-2142	123	14	8.7	71.5%	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	121 (98.4%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.5	603^rd of 662 public high schools	8.9%					(n/a)			19.0	38.2

Cities Near Zip Code 28217

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Charlotte	0.73 mi	185	282^nd
Pineville	4.08 mi	2	361^st
Belmont	7.62 mi	7	110^th
Gastonia	9.59 mi	25	365^th
Cramerton	10.12 mi	1	8^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.