Schools in Zip Code 28364

ZIP code 28364 in Maxton, North Carolina, is served by three public schools — Prospect Elementary, Oxendine Elementary, and Townsend Elementary — all part of the Public Schools of Robeson County, a district ranked #190 of 246 in North Carolina with a 1-star rating. Prospect is the only school serving upper grades, extending through 8th grade, while Oxendine serves through 6th grade and Townsend serves through 5th grade. Enrollment ranges from 280 students at Townsend to 775 at Prospect, and all three schools face extreme poverty levels, with roughly 99% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Prospect Elementary is the clear academic leader in this ZIP code. It ranks #892 of 1,492 schools (40th percentile, 2 stars) and has climbed from the 28th percentile three years ago. Prospect also has the lowest chronic absenteeism of the three at 30.5%, and its upper-grade results are standout: 8th grade math proficiency is 77.8% versus 53.0% statewide, and 8th grade science proficiency is 78.9% versus 68.6% statewide. Oxendine Elementary, ranking #1,031 (31st percentile, 2 stars), shows solid math results but struggles with reading and carries the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the ZIP at 47.0%. Townsend Elementary trails the group at #1,154 with just 1 star and posts very low 5th grade proficiency rates: 14.7% in math, 17.6% in reading, and 17.6% in science.

Chronic absenteeism is a serious issue across all three schools — 30.5% at Prospect, 39.1% at Townsend, and 47.0% at Oxendine — compared with the 24.2% state average. Reading is the biggest academic weakness across the area: even Prospect averages just 43.4% proficiency in grades 3-5 reading, while Oxendine averages 37.8% and Townsend averages 35.5%, all well below the 56.2% state average. Notably, higher spending does not mean higher performance: Townsend spends $12,374 per student, about 29% more than Prospect's $9,609, yet trails Prospect in nearly every subject. Parents should also keep in mind that small class sizes can create dramatic year-to-year swings in test results, so multi-year trends matter far more than any single-year ranking.