Summary:
Zip code 28513 in North Carolina is home to just one elementary school, Ayden Elementary, which serves students in grades PK–5 as part of the Pitt County Schools district. Ayden Elementary has become a standout despite serving one of the highest-poverty student populations in the state, with 98.48% of its 656 students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and it now outperforms both district and state averages in nearly every grade and subject tested.
Ayden Elementary has shown remarkable upward momentum, climbing from a rank of 787 out of 1,505 schools (48th percentile, 2 stars) in 2023–2024 to 455 out of 1,490 (69th percentile, 3 stars) in 2024–2025, and reaching 362 out of 1,492 (76th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026. This consistent three-year improvement is especially impressive given the school's demographics. Chronic absenteeism at Ayden Elementary is 16.2%, notably lower than the district rate of 21.7% and the state rate of 24.2%, suggesting strong student engagement that likely supports academic gains. In 2025–2026, the school exceeded state proficiency averages by 10–12 points in math, 3.6–8.6 points in reading, and 9.3 points in science, with a student-teacher ratio of 15:1 and per-student spending of $9,475.
Subject-level results reveal clear strengths and encouraging improvements. Third-grade math is exceptionally strong, holding steady at 78.9% proficiency in 2025–2026 after posting 78.2% the prior year, well above district and state levels. Reading showed the most dramatic growth, particularly in 3rd grade, where proficiency jumped from 49.2% to 64.2% in one year, and in 5th grade, where it rose from 45.9% to 60.0%, erasing a previous gap with the state. Fifth-grade science also improved from 72.4% to 77.0%. With no other elementary schools in the zip code for comparison, Ayden Elementary clearly stands alone as a strong educational option in the area, delivering results that far exceed expectations for a school with its poverty level.
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