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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28405

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

5,551

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedDr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary98^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC up 59 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington 10.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

2★

1★

0★

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

Zip code 28405 in Wilmington, NC, contains 9 schools — 4 elementary, 2 middle, and 3 high — serving roughly 5,551 students, mainly under New Hanover County Schools plus the standalone Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington district. Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary is the standout: a 5-star school ranked 98th of 1,492 elementary schools (93rd percentile), with 88.2% math, 73.6% reading, and 91.8% science proficiency. M C S Noble Middle leads middle schools at the 74th percentile (68.5% math, 64.0% reading), while Emsley A Laney High posts the best high school results with a 91.5% graduation rate and 70.7% English II proficiency.

Extreme gaps separate schools in this zip code. The two lowest-poverty schools, Eaton and Noble, are also the top performers, while seven of nine schools have 95% or higher free/reduced-lunch eligibility. R Freeman School of Engineering ranks last among all 1,492 elementary schools, with 14.8% math and 15.6% reading proficiency; A H Snipes Academy of Arts/Des sits at the 4th percentile; and John J Blair Elementary sits at the 32nd. Emma B Trask Middle is a notable exception, reaching the 65th percentile with math above state averages despite 99.51% poverty. Chronic absenteeism mirrors results — Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC (42.0%), Freeman (40.6%), Laney (38.2%), Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (37.7%), and Snipes (32.4%) — versus 11.6% at Eaton.

Spending data adds nuance: the lowest-ranked schools receive the most per student — Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC ($21,178), R Freeman School of Engineering ($16,676), and A H Snipes Academy of Arts/Des ($15,103) — while Eaton spends $10,965. Advanced math is a universal high school weakness: every high school trails the state’s 68.9% Math III proficiency, including Laney (56.5%), Career Readiness (40.9%), and Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (31.4%). Career Readiness is improving quickly, with Biology up from 26.9% to 54.5% and English II from 45.8% to 60.9% in one year. Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington, by contrast, posts strong 8th-grade scores but fades by high school, graduating only 74.5%. For parents, zip 28405 spans nearly the full range of North Carolina school outcomes, making school selection crucial.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington	Public, Charter	6-12	4100 Sunglow Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington	Yes	No	No	Yes	(910) 338-5258	362	35	10.2	98.9%	151 (41.7%)	96 (26.5%)	70 (19.3%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.8%)	30.8	473^rd of 662 public high schools	28.5%		34.7	415^th of 641 public high schools	35.3%	58	48.1	56.3	46.2	31.4				42.0	56.5	65.6				52.0	63.0	67.2		75.4
R Freeman School of Engineering	Public, Magnet	K-5	2601 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6011	241	22	10.8	98.8%	7 (2.9%)	170 (70.5%)	44 (18.3%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.5%)	0.9	1492^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	0.0%		1.1	1488^th of 1490 public elementary schools	0.1%	4					13.5	9.8	21.1				9.6	21.4	15.8				34.2		$16,676	$2,332	$14,344
Emma B Trask Middle	Public	6-8	2900 N College Rd	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2142	611	41	14.8	99.5%	301 (49.3%)	100 (16.4%)	138 (22.6%)	19 (3.1%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.2%)	62.4	274^th of 778 public middle schools	64.8%		61.2	274^th of 773 public middle schools	64.6%									70.4	62.7	60.6				52.2	59.1	58.5		71.0	$9,683	$828	$8,854
Emsley A Laney High	Public	9-12	2700 N College Rd	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2089	2,243	111	20.2	95.3%	1,243 (55.4%)	409 (18.2%)	415 (18.5%)	40 (1.8%)	4 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	132 (5.9%)	43.8	378^th of 662 public high schools	42.9%		42.9	351^st of 641 public high schools	45.2%	27	56.3	70.7	39.0	56.5															$8,690	$533	$8,157
John J Blair Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6510 Market Street	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 350-2045	451	34	13.1	99.1%	184 (40.8%)	58 (12.9%)	138 (30.6%)	23 (5.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.8%)	34.6	1017^th of 1492 public elementary schools	31.8%		35.3	995^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.2%	22					47.7	57.6	60.3				46.2	50.0	39.7				63.2		$10,293	$831	$9,462
M C S Noble Middle	Public	6-8	6520 Market St	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 350-2112	690	40	17.3	38.3%	473 (68.6%)	86 (12.5%)	92 (13.3%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.3%)	71.5	200^th of 778 public middle schools	74.3%		73.9	173^rd of 773 public middle schools	77.6%	27								70.7	76.9	57.8				64.4	66.7	60.9		70.7	$9,109	$612	$8,497
A H Snipes Academy of Arts/Des	Public, Magnet	K-5	2150 Chestnut Street	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(910) 251-6175	342	27	12.7	99.1%	37 (10.8%)	216 (63.2%)	60 (17.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (8.2%)	8.5	1439^th of 1492 public elementary schools	3.6%		14.6	1353^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	9.2%	86					50.0	25.0	29.6				32.4	21.4	25.9				50.0		$15,103	$2,324	$12,779
Dr Hubert Eaton Senior Elementary	Public	K-5	6701 Gordon Road	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 397-1544	461	32	14.2	30.4%	342 (74.2%)	31 (6.7%)	39 (8.5%)	13 (2.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.2%)	91	98^th of 1492 public elementary schools	93.4%		91.7	86^th of 1490 public elementary schools	94.2%	12					87.7	86.8	90.2				70.4	76.5	73.8				91.8		$10,965	$754	$10,211
Career Readiness Academy at Mosley PLC	Public	9-12	3702 Princess Place Drive	Wilmington	28405	New Hanover County	New Hanover County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 251-6161	150	15	10.2	98.0%	46 (30.7%)	53 (35.3%)	40 (26.7%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.0%)	33.9	448^th of 662 public high schools	32.3%		22.9	507^th of 641 public high schools	20.9%	59	54.5	60.9	40.7	40.9															$21,178	$2,660	$18,517

Cities Near Zip Code 28405

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Wilmington	1.19 mi	45	220^th
Castle Hayne	4.19 mi	5	74^th
Wrightsville Beach	4.9 mi	1	2^nd
Hampstead	9.52 mi	7	42^nd
Rocky Point	10.03 mi	5	329^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.