Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28580

Zip code 28580 in Snow Hill, North Carolina, is served by six schools across the Greene County Schools district, spanning elementary through high school with a unique grade structure that includes three elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools serving roughly 2,699 students in one of the state’s highest-poverty rural areas.

Families in this area will find dramatically different experiences depending on which school their child attends. The standout is Greene Early College High, which ranks in the 60th percentile statewide and posts proficiency rates at or above state averages in Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. It also has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the district at just 10.8%. By contrast, Greene Central High ranks in the 8th percentile, with only 10.3% of students proficient in Math I. Both schools serve nearly identical poverty populations, yet Greene Early College outperforms Greene Central by 30 to 46 percentage points on every end-of-course test. At the elementary level, Greene County Intermediate is the most vulnerable, ranking in the 4th percentile with 4th-grade math proficiency at just 21.8%. Meanwhile, West Greene Elementary and Snow Hill Primary serve the district’s youngest learners, with Snow Hill posting the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 24.3% despite covering foundational K–1 years.

The most striking issue across the district is a math crisis that begins in middle school and persists into high school. Greene County Middle posts an 8th-grade math proficiency rate of only 17.2%, and the district’s Math I pass rate is 17.8% — far below the state’s 42.1%. Despite these massive academic gaps, graduation rates are surprisingly strong: Greene Central High graduates 89.5% of students, above the state average. This disconnect suggests students are earning diplomas without reaching grade-level proficiency. The bottom line is that this district is rated in the bottom 10% of North Carolina, yet Greene Early College High demonstrates that high achievement is possible even in this high-poverty community — though most students in zip code 28580 are not yet experiencing that level of success.