Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28398

ZIP code 28398, serving the Warsaw, NC area, contains 2 public schools—Warsaw Elementary (grades PK-8) and James Kenan High (grades 9-12)—both operating within Duplin County Schools, a district ranked near the bottom of North Carolina districts. Combined, these schools serve about 1,566 students, with no standalone middle school; students move directly from the PK-8 campus into the high school.

The two schools share a nearly identical student population, with around 99.6% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. When comparing them, James Kenan High stands out as the relatively stronger school. It holds a 1-star rating (14th percentile statewide), while Warsaw Elementary ranks in the 6th percentile with 0 stars. The high school also posts a lower chronic absenteeism rate (18.8%) than the PK-8 school (24.5%), and it improved in three of four End-of-Course subjects from the prior year, including a notable gain in English II. Warsaw Elementary, despite its low overall rank, shows clear strengths in science: 5th-grade science proficiency surpassed the district average, and 8th-grade science came within 7 points of the district. Its math scores, however, are far weaker—5th-grade math proficiency is just 15.4%, and James Kenan’s Math I proficiency is only 22.5%.

For parents, the key takeaway is that both schools face serious challenges tied to high poverty, but neither is uniformly low. James Kenan High has a graduation rate of 79.7%, below the state’s 88.8%, but its strongest subject, Math III, is much closer to state averages. Warsaw Elementary is a bigger concern overall, especially for math and chronic absenteeism, yet its science instruction is a relative bright spot. Attendance is actually better at the high school than at the PK-8 school—an unusual pattern worth noting. The clearest improvement priorities are raising math proficiency in early and middle grades, reducing absenteeism at Warsaw Elementary, strengthening Math I at the high school, and building on the pockets of success in science and English II.