Schools in Zip Code 28330

ZIP code 28330 contains just one public school: Cordova Middle, a middle school serving grades 6–8 in the Cordova, NC area, within Richmond County Schools. With 233 students and a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio, it serves an almost exclusively low-income student body, as 98.71% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Because there is no other school in the ZIP code, comparisons must be made against the district and state.

Cordova Middle has several bright spots. In the 2025–2026 school year, 8th grade science was the strongest subject, with 63.4% proficiency—5.9 points above the district. Sixth grade was the strongest grade level, with 51.5% proficiency in both math and reading. The school improved across the board from the previous year: all seven EOG results rose, led by 8th grade math (+16.9 points), 6th grade reading (+15.4 points), and 6th grade math (+12.9 points). That momentum lifted the school from the 21st percentile in 2024–2025 to the 33rd percentile in 2025–2026, and its star rating from 1 to 2 stars. Weaknesses remain, however. Seventh grade math proficiency is just 37.1%—14.8 points below the district and 19.1 points below the state. Chronic absenteeism is also very high at 42.1%, compared with 28.0% districtwide and 24.2% statewide.

Despite these challenges, Cordova Middle outperforms its district in several 2025–2026 subjects, including 6th grade reading (51.5% vs. 48.4%), 8th grade reading (45.1% vs. 43.8%), and 8th grade science (63.4% vs. 57.5%). Averaging all seven EOG results, the school leaped from 38.0% to 48.6% proficiency in one year—a 10.6-point gain, compared with roughly 3-point gains for both the district and the state. Still, the school trails the state in every tested grade and subject; 6th grade reading is closest at 3.3 points behind, and 7th grade math is furthest at 19.1 points behind. Since ZIP 28330 has no elementary or high schools, students likely attend schools outside the ZIP before and after Cordova Middle. In short, this high-poverty, single-school community faces serious absenteeism challenges, but the broad one-year improvement and rising state ranking point to meaningful progress.