Schools in Zip Code 28585

Zip code 28585 is home to two public schools — Jones Senior High School and Trenton Elementary — that together serve grades K-12. Both schools belong to Jones County Schools and share one campus at 1378 Hwy 58 South in Trenton, so there is no standalone middle school, no alternative school, and essentially no school choice within the zip code. Both schools serve very high-poverty student bodies, with more than 98% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch.

Academically, both schools currently hold 1-star ratings and rank in the bottom fifth of North Carolina schools: Jones Senior High School ranks 534th out of 662 high/middle-high schools (19th percentile), while Trenton Elementary ranks 1175th out of 1492 elementary schools (21st percentile). Jones Senior High School posts a graduation rate of 76.6%, well below the state average of 88.8%, and its best test results are in 7th-grade reading (56.7% vs. 56.3% statewide) and Math I (45.8% vs. 42.1%). Trenton Elementary did not reach the state average in any tested subject; its lowest result was 3rd-grade math at 25% proficiency, a 41.4-point gap below the state average.

The most urgent concern is chronic absenteeism at Trenton Elementary — 31.4% of students are chronically absent, well above the district rate of 24.8%, the state average of 24.2%, and the 23.9% rate at Jones Senior High School. Also notable is the one-year collapse in 3rd-grade math at Trenton Elementary, falling from 62.5% to 25% proficiency, although 5th-grade science improved from 18.2% to 42.3%. Results at Jones Senior High School have been volatile: Biology jumped from 15.4% to 40.8% proficiency, while English II (58.1% to 43.9%) and Math III (64.8% to 42.4%) fell sharply. The 6-12 configuration at Jones Senior High School means 6th graders are placed in a senior-high environment with no middle-school alternative.