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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28613

New rankings! North Carolina test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

1,571

Students

Districts

Top rankedShuford Elementary313^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Shuford Elementary up 155 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 28613 in Conover, North Carolina contains three elementary schools serving grades PK or K through 5 or 6, split between the Catawba County Schools and Newton Conover City Schools districts. Saint Stephens Elementary, Lyle Creek Elementary, and Shuford Elementary all serve very high-poverty student bodies, with free/reduced lunch rates between about 96% and 100%. Yet these similar demographics hide dramatically different academic outcomes, making school choice especially important for families in this area.

Shuford Elementary is the clear standout, ranking in the 79th percentile statewide with a 4-star rating. It posts roughly 79.7% average math proficiency, 59.7% reading, and 87.0% in 5th-grade science. That science score is nearly 20 points above the state average. Lyle Creek Elementary, part of Catawba County Schools, is the stronger of the two county schools, ranking near the state median (48th percentile) with 11% chronic absenteeism and 5th-grade science above the state average. Saint Stephens Elementary, also in Catawba County Schools, is the area's lowest performer, ranking in the 16th percentile with proficiency 15 to 20 points below state averages in most subjects and the highest chronic absenteeism at 18%.

The key takeaway is that poverty alone does not explain achievement. Saint Stephens Elementary and Lyle Creek Elementary have nearly identical poverty rates (99.58% vs. 99.34%), but Lyle Creek Elementary outpaces Saint Stephens Elementary in every tested subject. Spending also fails to predict results; Shuford Elementary spends the least per student ($8,223) yet achieves the best outcomes, while Saint Stephens Elementary spends more ($9,685) with the weakest scores. Chronic absenteeism tracks with performance, and within-school grade trends reveal concerns at Saint Stephens Elementary, where math proficiency drops from 60.6% in 3rd grade to 33.7% in 4th grade. Encouragingly, all three schools improved from the prior year, with Shuford Elementary's 5th-grade science jumping from 73.8% to 87.0%, but Saint Stephens Elementary remains far below district and state levels despite making gains.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)				EOG Reading (2026)				EOG Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Saint Stephens Elementary	Public	K-6	684 30th Street NE	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 256-2570	711	47	15.0	99.6%	194 (27.3%)	146 (20.5%)	254 (35.7%)	48 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (9.7%)	21.3	1260^th of 1492 public elementary schools	15.5%		18.1	1313^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.9%	53	60.6	33.7	41.7	46.9	35.6	42.6	42.7	36.7	55.2	$9,685	$1,747	$7,938
Lyle Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1845 Edgewater Drive NW	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-0299	458	31	14.6	99.3%	167 (36.5%)	14 (3.1%)	114 (24.9%)	109 (23.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (11.8%)	47	782^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	47.6%		47.2	795^th of 1490 public elementary schools	46.6%	13	74.6	45.2	49.1	58.6	59.3	50.0	52.7	50.0	70.9	$10,199	$1,523	$8,677
Shuford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	810 Hunsucker Drive	Conover	28613	Catawba County	Newton Conover City Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 464-1973	402	27	15.1	96.3%	161 (40.0%)	26 (6.5%)	120 (29.9%)	47 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (11.9%)	75.5	313^th of 1492 public elementary schools	79.0%		65.9	468^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.6%	155	74.3	79.2	85.5		55.7	63.9	59.4		87.0	$8,223	$1,056	$7,167

Cities Near Zip Code 28613

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Conover	0.78 mi	5	293^rd
Newton	1.69 mi	9	155^th
Hickory	3.03 mi	17	200^th
Claremont	3.74 mi	5	337^th
Catawba	7.54 mi	3	150^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.