Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28466

Zip code 28466 contains just one public school, Wallace Elementary in Wallace, NC, a large PK-8 campus serving 1,120 students, with no middle or high schools located within the zip code itself. Because the school is the only one in the area, the most useful points of comparison are against its governing district, Duplin County Schools, and the state of North Carolina. Wallace Elementary functions as the community's sole educational hub for pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, after which students must transition to a high school elsewhere in Duplin County.

Wallace Elementary stands out for its extraordinary level of economic need — roughly 99.73% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — and for its broad grade span that combines elementary and middle grades under one roof. Academically, the school ranks in the bottom 5% of North Carolina schools, sitting at the 4th percentile statewide, and trails its district and state averages in nearly every subject. In 2025-2026, average math proficiency was 32.5%, reading was 31.2%, and science was 35.9%, compared to state averages of approximately 59.9%, 56.0%, and 68.2%. Its student-teacher ratio is 16.8:1, and chronic absenteeism at 22.2% is above the district rate of 18.9% but below the state average of 24.2%.

Despite the overall low performance, there are meaningful bright spots. Third-grade math is a significant outlier at 54.5% proficiency, nearly matching the district average and coming much closer to the state's 66.4%, though that strength drops sharply by 4th grade to 26.8%. Eighth-grade science, at 49.2%, is the school's best relative performance — nearly double the 5th-grade science rate of 22.5% and only 3 points behind the district. Several grades also improved dramatically year-over-year, including a 16-point jump in 3rd-grade math and a 13.8-point gain in 8th-grade math. While Wallace Elementary still faces widespread challenges, particularly in 4th and 7th-grade math, 5th-grade science, and most reading levels, these recent gains suggest targeted improvements are possible even in a high-poverty, low-performing school.