Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28334

ZIP code 28334, serving the Dunn, North Carolina area, contains 7 traditional public schools spanning elementary through high school grades and enrolling 3,460 students, split between Harnett County Schools and Sampson County Schools. Nearly every school serves a very high-poverty population, with six of seven schools reporting free/reduced-price lunch eligibility above 97%; only Harnett County Early College (45.4%) is substantially lower. Chronic absenteeism is elevated in most schools, ranging from 16.8% at Midway Elementary to 33.3% at Dunn Middle, compared with the statewide rate of 24.2%.

The clear standout is Harnett County Early College, ranked in the 93rd percentile among North Carolina high schools with a 5-star rating, posting proficiency rates of 92–98% on every end-of-course exam. Because it is a selective early-college program with a lower poverty rate, its results are not directly comparable to the other schools. Among traditional schools, Midway Elementary is the strongest, ranking in the 75th percentile (4 stars) despite 99.3% poverty, with the lowest chronic absenteeism in the ZIP code. Midway Middle is the best middle school (56th percentile, 3 stars), well ahead of Dunn Middle (32nd percentile) and Coats-Erwin Middle (20th percentile). Plain View Elementary is a solid mid-tier school (61st percentile), while Dunn Elementary is the lowest-ranked school in the ZIP code at the 19th percentile, with reading proficiency averaging just 38.9%.

The strongest pattern is district-based: the three Sampson County schools in this ZIP code rank at or above the 56th percentile, while Harnett County's three traditional schools rank at or below the 32nd percentile. High poverty does not automatically mean low performance, as Midway Elementary and Plain View Elementary beat the odds despite poverty rates above 99%. Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with academic outcomes, making attendance a likely lever for improvement. Reading is a consistent weakness across traditional schools, with math proficiency running well ahead of reading at Dunn Elementary, Dunn Middle, and Midway Middle. Encouragingly, several schools are improving: Midway Elementary jumped from the 56th to 75th percentile over three years.