Summary:
ZIP code 28337 in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, contains only one high school: Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy, which serves 199 students across grades 6–12 and is part of the Paul R Brown Leadership Academy district. Despite being a high-poverty school, with 98.49% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the graduation rate is 89.3%, essentially matching the North Carolina state average of 88.8%. The school has earned a 2-star rating for the past three years, ranking between the 33rd and 42nd percentiles statewide.
The school's performance varies significantly by subject and grade. The strongest results appear in 8th grade, where math proficiency reached 76% versus 53% statewide, science reached 88% versus 68.6% statewide, and reading reached 60% versus 56.1% statewide. However, reading remains the biggest weakness overall, with 6th-grade reading at 33.3% proficient compared to 54.8% statewide and 7th-grade reading at 32.3% versus 56.3% statewide. English II EOC scores also trail the state at 54.8% versus 64.6%.
Science results improved dramatically in one year, with 8th-grade science jumping from 25% to 88% proficiency and Biology EOC rising from 41.7% to 62.5%. Math results are inconsistent, however, and caution is warranted due to the school's very small enrollment of just 199 students across seven grade levels. A single-year swing in Math I—from 71.4% proficient in 2024–2025 down to 36.4% in 2025–2026—illustrates how much cohort size can affect year-to-year results. Overall, Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy shows pockets of excellence in 8th-grade math and science and a graduation rate at the state norm, but literacy gaps and uneven subject performance continue to hold back its overall rating.
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