Schools in Zip Code 28349

Zip code 28349 in Kenansville, North Carolina contains just two public schools—Kenansville Elementary, serving grades K–8, and Duplin Early College High, serving grades 9–12—both part of the Duplin County Schools district. Despite the district's 1-star rating, Duplin Early College High is a clear standout, now ranked a 4-star school at the 71st percentile. Its students score well above state averages on every End-of-Course test, including a 90.7% proficiency rate in Math III versus 68.9% statewide, all while 98.5% of them qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Kenansville Elementary is less dramatic but consistently outperforms its district, beating Duplin County averages in 25 of 28 tested grade/subject combinations. Still, it trails state averages by about 12 points in math, 10 in reading, and 21 in science. The weakest spot is the upper-middle grades: math proficiency falls from 61.7% in 3rd grade to 34.8% in 8th grade, and 8th-grade reading and science sit 23 and 25 points below the state. On a positive note, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 18.5% is better than both the district (18.9%) and the state (24.2%), and its student-teacher ratio of 15.5 is more favorable than the high school's 24.2.

The most interesting takeaway is that higher spending and lower class sizes don't guarantee better scores: Kenansville Elementary spends about $10,620 per student, while Duplin Early College High spends only $7,848. Yet the early college produces far stronger academic outcomes, suggesting its model and student motivation matter more. The district’s low rating also masks an outlier—Duplin Early College High outperforms its district average by nearly 30 percentage points on End-of-Course proficiency. For parents, the zip code offers limited choices and no standalone middle school, but it does include a high-poverty early college that beats the state on most measures. Families should compare the strong, stable high school with the more uneven but earnest K–8 elementary option.