Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28328

Zip code 28328 in Clinton, NC, contains five elementary schools – Sunset Avenue Elementary, Butler Avenue Elementary, Langdon C Kerr Elementary, Union Elementary, and Union Intermediate – serving roughly 2,346 students in grades PK-5 across Clinton City Schools and Sampson County Schools. All five campuses serve very high-poverty communities, with free/reduced-price lunch eligibility between 97% and 99.5%. The schools work as feeder pairs: PK-2 campuses lead into the grade 3-5 campuses, Sunset Avenue Elementary and Union Intermediate, the only two with current EOG test data and state rankings.

Sunset Avenue Elementary is the stronger of the two tested schools and the strongest overall in the zip code. Its 2025-26 EOG average of 50.1% beats Union Intermediate’s 43.7%, with higher math (54.5% vs 44.3%) and reading (43.9% vs 37.3%). Sunset Avenue Elementary also holds the higher state rank – 28th percentile versus Union Intermediate’s 13th – and the lowest chronic absenteeism in the group at 16.1%. Reading is the shared weak point: both schools trail state reading averages by 12 to 19 points. Union Intermediate, with three consecutive years of declining state rankings, is the area’s biggest academic concern. Butler Avenue Elementary, which serves grades 1-2, stands out for low absenteeism (17.9%) and a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio, though it has no current EOG data.

The most pressing attendance concerns are in the early grades: Union Elementary (30.9% chronic absenteeism) and Langdon C Kerr Elementary (30.5%) have rates nearly double Sunset Avenue Elementary’s despite having the highest per-pupil spending and smallest classes – a sign that resources alone have not solved attendance barriers for the youngest students. Large swings, such as Sunset Avenue Elementary’s 5th-grade math proficiency falling from 73.7% to 56.3%, point to cohort effects, so parents should examine multi-year trends. District rankings are mixed: Clinton City Schools sits in the bottom 20% of North Carolina districts, while Sampson County Schools is nearer the middle, yet the stronger tested school in this zip code sits in Clinton City Schools. Overall, Sunset Avenue Elementary is the strongest tested choice, Union Intermediate needs the closest attention, and early-grade chronic absenteeism needs attention.