Summary:
ZIP code 28349, which covers the Kenansville, North Carolina area, is home to one public high school in this data set: Duplin Early College High, a small grades 9–12 school enrolling 199 students. Because there are no other high schools in this ZIP code to compare locally, the most useful benchmarks come from the school’s own district, Duplin County Schools, and the statewide North Carolina averages.
The school stands out against those benchmarks. Duplin County Schools currently ranks 201st out of 246 districts in North Carolina with a 1-star rating, yet Duplin Early College High has earned 4 stars from SchoolDigger in two consecutive cycles: 189th out of 662 schools in 2025–2026 and 180th out of 641 in 2024–2025, after a 3-star, middle-of-the-pack ranking two years ago. In the most recent End-of-Course results, the school exceeded the state average in every subject: Biology at 69.6% versus 58.5% statewide, English II at 73.9% versus 64.6%, Math I at 52.6% versus 42.1%, and Math III at an extraordinary 90.7% versus 68.9%. The prior year also beat the state in all four tested subjects, including a 40.6-point advantage in Math I.
A critical piece of context is that 98.49% of this student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school sits in a district ranked in the bottom quarter of the state. However, the early college model, likely linked to a community college campus, gives students early exposure to college coursework, which helps explain strengths such as Math III. One caution for parents: with just 199 students across four grade levels, tested cohorts are small, so scores can swing year to year — Math I dropped from 75.0% to 52.6% after a huge lead the prior year, while Math III jumped from 66.7% to 90.7%. Even with those swings, the consistent pattern is clear: Duplin Early College High substantially outperforms its district and state, making it an academic bright spot in ZIP code 28349.
Thank you for your feedback!