Schools in Zip Code 28521

Zip code 28521 is served by exactly one school — Chinquapin Elementary — a public PK-8 school in the Duplin County Schools district enrolling 537 students in a very high-poverty area where 99.44% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Because there is only one school in this zip code, the most meaningful comparisons are between Chinquapin Elementary and its district or the state of North Carolina rather than nearby schools.

Chinquapin Elementary has genuine pockets of academic strength despite being in a district ranked 201 out of 246 statewide. In 2025-2026, the school beat both its district and the state in 6th grade math, 6th grade reading, 8th grade math, and 8th grade science — with 8th grade science proficiency at 75.4% versus the district's 52.2% and the state's 68.6%. The school also outperformed its district in nearly every tested grade and subject, including 6th grade math (67.9% vs. 42.3%), 6th grade reading (60.4% vs. 40.0%), and 8th grade reading (55.7% vs. 36.6%). Chronic absenteeism is 15.4%, lower than the district's 18.9% and well below the state's 24.2%, a strong positive indicator given the school's poverty level.

The main concern is in the elementary grades. Third through fifth grade scores trail state averages in both math and reading, with 5th grade the weakest: 35.9% proficiency in math versus 62.9% statewide, 35.9% in reading versus 55.3%, and 45.3% in science versus 67.7%. Large year-to-year swings — 5th grade math fell from 70.6% to 35.9% while 8th grade science rose from 49.2% to 75.4% — suggest results are heavily influenced by individual cohorts rather than stable schoolwide trends. Correspondingly, the school's statewide ranking dropped from the 46th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 25th percentile in 2025-2026. Still, for a PK-8 school where nearly every student is economically disadvantaged, Chinquapin Elementary's middle school results and low absenteeism are meaningful strengths worth recognizing.