Summary:
Zip code 28478 is home to just one elementary school: Penderlea Elementary, a PK–8 school in Pender County Schools that enrolls 468 students in a very high-poverty area where more than 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Penderlea has genuine academic strengths in math and science. In the 2025–2026 school year, Penderlea's 5th grade math proficiency was 75.6%, well above the state average of 62.9%, and 5th grade science (73.3%) and 8th grade science (70.6%) both beat state averages. Overall math performance (60.5%) is essentially tied with the state average (59.9%). However, reading is the school's biggest concern: Penderlea trails both the district and state in reading at every grade level, with the most urgent gap in 3rd grade, where only 35.4% of students are proficient compared to the state's 55.6%. Chronic absenteeism adds to the challenge, with 28.6% of students chronically absent, above the district (24.5%) and state (24.2%).
On a positive note, Penderlea has improved steadily, rising from the 32nd percentile of North Carolina schools in 2023–2024 to the 45th percentile in 2025–2026, though it still holds a 2-star rating and sits in the lower half of the state. Since no other elementary school exists in this zip code, families should view Penderlea's results in the context of the district and statewide averages. The data show a school that is competitive in math and science but struggling in reading, especially early literacy, making reading intervention and attendance support the two areas most likely to drive future gains.
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