Summary:
The 28383 ZIP code is served by three schools—Union Elementary, South Robeson Middle School, and Southside Ashpole Elementary—all part of Public Schools of Robeson County, covering grades PK–8 with no high schools in the area. Together, these schools enroll about 901 students, and all serve very high-poverty populations, with over 96% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Union Elementary stands out dramatically. Despite having a 99% poverty rate, it ranks in the 63rd percentile statewide and beats the district in every subject, with a 70.8% math proficiency average and 81.6% fifth-grade science proficiency. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 29.7% is also far lower than its peers. By contrast, South Robeson Middle School ranks in the 8th percentile and struggles with a 55.3% chronic absenteeism rate; only about a third of its students are proficient in math and reading. Southside Ashpole Elementary also sits near the bottom at the 6th percentile, with proficiency around 35% in math and reading despite having the smallest class sizes in the area.
Attendance and grade-level gaps are telling. Union’s sixth graders hit 77.8% math proficiency, while South Robeson’s sixth graders only reached 40.5%. Reading is the weakest subject across all schools—even at Union, fifth-grade reading is 49% versus 81.6% in science. On a positive note, Southside Ashpole and South Robeson have both shown meaningful year-over-year gains in several areas, such as fifth-grade science jumping from 29.4% to 55.6%. The bottom line: Union Elementary proves high achievement is possible amid poverty, while chronic absenteeism and low reading proficiency remain the biggest challenges for the other two schools in this ZIP code.
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