Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28456

ZIP code 28456 is a rural North Carolina area with just two public elementary schools — Acme Delco Elementary and East Arcadia Elementary — so families with middle or high school students must look outside the ZIP code. Both schools serve deeply impoverished communities: 99.1% of Acme Delco students and 95.6% of East Arcadia students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Acme Delco Elementary, part of Columbus County Schools, enrolls 349 students in grades PK–6, while East Arcadia Elementary, part of Bladen County Schools, is a much smaller K–5 school with only 68 students. Neither school reaches North Carolina state averages in most subjects, and both carry a 1-star state rating.

Acme Delco Elementary is the larger and stronger-performing school of the two. It ranked #1,212 of 1,492 statewide — the 19th percentile — ahead of East Arcadia Elementary's #1,277 ranking in the 14th percentile. Acme Delco Elementary's best area is 6th grade math, where 58.1% scored proficient — nearly matching the state's 59.2% and beating its district's 47.9%. East Arcadia Elementary, by contrast, spends $21,299 per student — over twice Acme Delco Elementary's $10,358 — while maintaining a far lower student-teacher ratio of 8.6 to 1. Yet the extra spending does not yield higher scores: East Arcadia Elementary's 4th grade reading proficiency is just 9.1%, and 4th grade math is 27.3%. It did show recent 5th grade gains, with 53.8% math and 46.2% reading proficiency, both surpassing district averages.

Chronic absenteeism is a serious issue at both schools: 35.7% at Acme Delco Elementary and 28.2% at East Arcadia Elementary, both above the state rate of 24.2%. These problems compound the challenges of extreme poverty and rural isolation. The districts themselves rank low statewide: Columbus County Schools is #176 and Bladen County Schools is #200 of 246. East Arcadia Elementary's tiny enrollment means year-to-year scores swing widely and should be read cautiously. For parents, Acme Delco Elementary offers stronger overall consistency and solid upper-elementary math, while East Arcadia Elementary provides small classes and recent 5th grade gains — but its very low early-grade reading scores are a real concern.