Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28332

Zip code 28332 in Dublin, North Carolina is served by two public schools in the Bladen County Schools district, which ranks in the bottom 20% of districts statewide: Dublin Primary, an elementary school serving grades PK–5 with 234 students, and Bladen Early College, a high school serving grades 9–12 with 129 students. There is no middle school in the immediate area, so students must leave the zip code after 5th grade until high school.

These two schools tell dramatically different stories despite sharing the same low-performing district and equally extreme poverty levels near 98% free/reduced lunch. Bladen Early College is a standout, ranked 87th out of 662 high schools statewide (87th percentile, 4 stars). Its EOC proficiency rates are exceptional: 91.9% in Biology, 90.9% in English II, 81.0% in Math I, and 92.5% in Math III — outperforming its district by roughly 46 points in Biology and English II and beating state averages by 20 to 33 points in most subjects. Dublin Primary, by contrast, ranks 1080 out of 1492 elementary schools (28th percentile, 1 star). Its reading and 4th-grade math scores trail state averages considerably, though 5th-grade science (68.8%) exceeds the state average and 5th-grade math (62.5%) is essentially at the state level.

The key takeaway for parents is that high poverty does not determine outcomes. Nearly every student at both schools comes from a low-income household, yet Bladen Early College achieves at an elite level, likely due to its selective early college model and motivated student body. Dublin Primary shows a meaningful strength in attendance, with chronic absenteeism of 17.0% — far better than the district's 31.4% and the state's 24.2%. However, its volatile 5th-grade science score and uneven grade-level math results suggest large cohort differences rather than stable trends. Parents should also note that the unusual 61.4:1 student-teacher ratio reported at Bladen Early College reflects college courses taught by community college faculty, not overcrowded classrooms.