Summary:
Zip code 28606 is served by a single elementary school: Boomer-Ferguson Elementary School, a small rural K-5 school in Boomer, NC, enrolling 111 students within Wilkes County Schools. Because there are no other elementary schools in the zip code, the most useful comparisons are to district and state averages rather than local peers.
Boomer-Ferguson is an extremely high-poverty school — 97.3% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch — yet it has shown the ability to outperform expectations. In the 2024-2025 school year, it beat district and state averages in 4th grade math (65.2% proficient vs. 58.9% statewide), 5th grade math (64.7% vs. 59.3%), and 5th grade science (70.6% vs. 62.0%). More recent 2025-2026 results, however, show the school below district and state averages in nearly every subject, with the largest gaps in 5th grade math and reading. A consistent weakness is 3rd grade, where math and reading proficiency have trailed state averages by large margins in both years, while 4th grade math stands out as a reliable strength. Small cohorts of roughly 15-25 students per grade cause big year-to-year swings — for instance, 5th grade science dropped from 70.6% to 47.6% between school years, likely reflecting different students rather than a decline in quality.
Chronic absenteeism affects about 19.3% of students, or roughly 21 children, which is above the Wilkes County average of 16.9% but well below the state average of 24.2%. The school currently ranks 1,155th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (23rd percentile) and holds a 1-star rating, despite sitting in Wilkes County Schools, a district ranked 89th of 246 districts statewide. While its most recent state ranking places it in the bottom quarter, the school's history shows it is capable of performing at or above state averages in certain grades and subjects.
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