Summary:
ZIP code 28540, in Jacksonville, NC, is served by 10 elementary schools enrolling roughly 4,589 students, with most schools serving grades K-5, two adding pre-K, and Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology extending to 8th grade. Nine of these schools belong to Onslow County Schools, while Z.E.C.A. runs as its own charter district. This is a high-poverty area: every school exceeds 50% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, and the median rate is about 65%. Given that shared economic challenge, outcomes differ substantially across campuses.
Southwest Elementary is the area's overall standout, ranked in the 60th percentile statewide with 3 stars; its math proficiency in grades 3, 4, and 5 (70.5%, 67.6%, and 68.3%) beats state averages at all three grade levels. Clear View Elementary is the most-improved school, rising from the 34th percentile in 2023-24 to the 52nd percentile now, and its 75.9% 3rd-grade math score is the highest single tested grade/subject result in the ZIP. Clyde Erwin Elementary shows exceptional 4th-grade work (75.7% math, 73.0% reading) but struggles badly in 5th-grade reading at just 36.1%. Parkwood Elementary boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (17.2%) and the ZIP's strongest 5th-grade reading and science results.
On the other side, Summersill Elementary, Bell Fork Elementary, Meadow View Elementary, Northwoods Elementary, and Blue Creek Elementary all rank below the state median, with most showing 5th-grade math proficiency below 50%. Reading is the most consistent weakness: in 3rd grade, no school in the ZIP reaches the state average of 55.6%. The most urgent outlier is Z.E.C.A. School of Arts and Technology, which combines 95.2% poverty, 57.9% chronic absenteeism, a bottom-5% state ranking, and just 10% 5th-grade math proficiency. In short, 28540 has real pockets of excellence—especially at Southwest and Clear View—but early-grade reading, upper-elementary math, and the crisis at Z.E.C.A. demand the most attention.
Thank you for your feedback!