Summary:
Zip code 28392 is served by a single public school, Tar Heel School, a Pre-K through 8th grade campus in Tar Heel, NC, operating within Bladen County Schools and enrolling 449 students.
As the only school in the area, Tar Heel School plays a vital PK-8 role for the community, with nearly 96% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Its academic profile is mixed. The school outperforms its district overall in math, reading, and science, yet it remains well below state averages. The strongest academic area is 5th-grade science, where 69.7% of students are proficient, surpassing both the district (61.5%) and the state (67.7%). Fifth-grade math also nearly matches the state average (60.6% vs. 62.9%). Reading has improved significantly in 2025–26, especially in 3rd grade, jumping from 30% to 50% proficiency. However, the school has a pronounced middle-grade slump: math proficiency falls from 60.6% in 5th grade to just 24.3% in 8th grade, and reading drops from 50% in 3rd grade to 32.9% in 8th grade, leaving only about 1 in 4 middle schoolers proficient in math compared to the state’s 1 in 2.
Tar Heel School receives a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, ranking in the bottom quarter of North Carolina elementary schools, though its 2025–26 standing improved slightly from the prior year. Chronic absenteeism is a relative bright spot at 20.0%, significantly better than the district’s 31.4% and below the state’s 24.2%. For parents, the school offers a cohesive PK-8 environment with strong early elementary performance, recent reading gains, and standout 5th-grade science, but families should be aware of the academic challenges that emerge in middle grades. Since it is the only school in the zip code, there are no peer schools for direct comparison, but the data shows a school working hard within a low-performing district while facing high economic need.
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