Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28570

ZIP code 28570 in Newport, North Carolina, is served by five public schools in the Carteret County Public Schools district — two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school that collectively enroll 3,124 students. The district is rated four stars and ranks 31st of 246 districts statewide. The five schools form a direct pathway from Newport Elementary or Bogue Sound Elementary into either Broad Creek Middle or Newport Middle, then converge at Croatan High.

Broad Creek Middle is the top performer, ranked 59th of 778 North Carolina middle schools (92nd percentile) with a 5-star rating and an average proficiency rate near 80.5 percent, roughly 23 points above the state average. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 11.6 percent. Croatan High ranks 80th of 662 high schools (88th percentile) and posts outstanding end-of-course results: 93.1 percent proficient in English II, 94.4 percent in Math III, and 90.8 percent in Biology, plus a 92.4 percent graduation rate. Bogue Sound Elementary is notable because nearly all of its students (99.3 percent) qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, yet it ranks in the 84th percentile statewide and beats district and state averages across subjects.

The ZIP code contains a stark economic divide: Newport Elementary, Bogue Sound Elementary, and Newport Middle serve student bodies that are roughly 99 percent low-income, while Broad Creek Middle and Croatan High sit near 28–30 percent. Higher-poverty schools get more per-student funding and lower student-teacher ratios, yet outcomes differ—Bogue Sound outperforms Newport Elementary by about 14 points in math despite nearly identical poverty. Newport Middle has shown dramatic improvement, jumping from the 50th to the 74th percentile in one year, though it still trails Broad Creek and has the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 22.6 percent. All five schools beat the state chronic absenteeism average, and all except Newport Elementary and Newport Middle exceed district proficiency averages.