Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28428

Zip code 28428 contains a single elementary school, Carolina Beach Elementary, serving grades K through 5 with 383 students in Carolina Beach, NC. Since no other elementary school exists in this zip code, meaningful comparisons rely on its district, New Hanover County Schools, and North Carolina state benchmarks. The school stands out as a high performer, earning a 5-star state rating in the two most recent ranking years and placing in the 94th percentile among elementary schools statewide, with a state rank of 83 out of 1,492 in 2025–2026. By comparison, New Hanover County Schools holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 66th percentile (84th out of 246 districts).

Academically, Carolina Beach Elementary exceeds district and state averages in every EOG subject and grade level reported for 2025–2026. Math proficiency reaches 82.3% in 3rd grade, 81.3% in 4th grade, and an exceptional 96.1% in 5th grade—33.2 percentage points above the state average. Reading proficiency is also strong, ranging from 71.0% in 3rd grade to 81.8% in 5th grade, consistently outpacing district and state results even though reading remains the school's relative soft spot. In 5th grade science, 93.5% of students are proficient versus 72.7% for the district and 67.7% for the state.

Attendance appears to be a contributing strength: only 11.8% of students are chronically absent, roughly half the district rate of 23.8% and the state's 24.2%. About one in three students (33.4%) qualifies for free/reduced lunch, yet academic performance remains high. The school also benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.1. Some year-to-year cohort swings exist—5th grade math jumped from 77.1% to 96.1% in a single year—but the overall picture is of consistent excellence at Carolina Beach Elementary, a clear standout within an already above-average district.