Summary:
ZIP code 28360 in Lumberton, North Carolina, is home to just two elementary schools — Magnolia Elementary and Deep Branch Elementary — both part of the Public Schools of Robeson County, a district ranked 190th out of 246 in North Carolina. Magnolia serves grades PK–8 with 779 students, while Deep Branch serves grades PK–6 with 374 students. Nearly every student at both schools qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the two schools post meaningfully different academic outcomes.
Magnolia Elementary is the stronger school overall: it earned a 2-star rating and ranks in the 34th percentile statewide, compared to Deep Branch's 1 star and 21st percentile. Magnolia's standout results come in the middle grades — 85.5% of 8th graders are proficient in science, and 67.7% are proficient in math, both far above district and state averages. Magnolia also exceeds the state average in 4th-grade reading (60.3% vs. 57.7%). Deep Branch Elementary, however, shows important bright spots, particularly a 54.8% 6th-grade reading proficiency rate that matches the state average, and strong gains in 5th-grade reading (from 9.8% to 36.5%) and 3rd-grade math (from 56.1% to 67.8%).
Both schools face serious challenges, particularly chronic absenteeism: 38.7% at Magnolia and 41.6% at Deep Branch, vs. a 24.2% state average. Notably, Deep Branch spends more per student ($10,490 vs. $9,903) and has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio, yet Magnolia outperforms it academically — a sign that school-level practices and leadership matter as much as resources. Both schools improved noticeably from the prior year in overall EOG proficiency, but they remain below state averages in most elementary subjects. For parents, Magnolia is the stronger choice academically, while Deep Branch offers some encouraging signs of recent improvement.
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