Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28262

ZIP code 28262 in Charlotte, North Carolina is served by 11 schools covering every grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade—4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools, and 1 alternative K-12 preparatory school—with a combined enrollment of roughly 8,562 students. Most belong to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a district ranked 105th of 246 statewide, while Bradford Preparatory School serves as its own separate district. The result is an area of dramatic contrasts, where some of North Carolina's best high schools sit alongside schools ranked near the bottom of the state.

At the top, Charlotte Engineering Early College-UNCC and Charlotte Teacher Early College are both 4-star CMS high schools, ranking in the 88th and 85th percentiles statewide, graduating 95% and 90.2% of students, and posting EOC proficiency averages near 90% (English II at 92.8% and 97.2%). Bradford Preparatory School, a K-12 alternative that acts as its own district, is equally strong, with EOC scores well above state averages and just 9.7% chronic absenteeism—the lowest in the ZIP code. Among traditional CMS elementary schools, Mallard Creek Elementary leads with 3 stars and a 55th-percentile ranking despite 97.1% free/reduced lunch eligibility, making it the only traditional school here with scores at or above state averages in multiple subjects.

On the other end, Julius L. Chambers High School—the largest school at 2,225 students—ranks in the 14th percentile with a 79.6% graduation rate, while James Martin Middle (15th percentile) and Turning Point Middle (2nd percentile, 0 stars) also face serious challenges. Chronic absenteeism is the clearest red flag: Julius L. Chambers High School and Turning Point Middle both exceed 55%, more than double the state average of 24.2%, and their test scores trail accordingly. Encouragingly, both University Meadows Elementary and Stoney Creek Elementary have improved from bottom-decile rankings to the 32nd and 30th percentiles. Ultimately, attendance and poverty—not school size, as Turning Point's 4:1 ratio shows—are the biggest dividers here, so improving attendance in high-poverty schools is the clearest path forward.