Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28622

Zip code 28622, which covers the Elk Park area of North Carolina, is home to just one elementary school: Freedom Trail Elementary, a PK–5 public school in Avery County Schools with 202 students. Because this is the only elementary school in the zip code, the information below focuses entirely on this school’s performance, trends, and areas of strength and concern. Freedom Trail serves an exceptionally high-need population, with just over 94% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and it maintains a favorable 13:1 student-teacher ratio.

Academically, Freedom Trail Elementary shows clear strengths in math, especially in the early grades. In the 2025-2026 school year, 3rd-grade math proficiency reached 84.4%, well above the state average of 66.4%, and the school outperformed the state in every tested math grade. However, reading proficiency declines sharply as students move up: 3rd-grade reading is strong at 68.8%, but 4th-grade reading drops to 48.1% and 5th-grade reading to 43.8%, both below district and state averages. Science is also a concern—5th-grade science proficiency fell from 71% in 2024-2025 to 50% in 2025-2026, leaving the school far below the state’s 67.7%. Consistent with these mixed results, the school’s overall ranking has slipped from the 81st percentile in 2023-2024 to the 63rd percentile in 2025-2026, with its star rating falling from 4 to 3 stars.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated at 26.4%, higher than the district’s 20.2% and the state’s 24.2%, and it likely compounds academic challenges in a school where nearly all students face economic disadvantages. Looking at the same cohort across years reveals volatility rather than steady trends: for example, one cohort jumped from 40% math proficiency in 3rd grade to 74.1% in 4th grade, while another cohort fell from 68.4% reading proficiency in 4th grade to 43.8% in 5th grade. Freedom Trail is succeeding in early-grade math with a strong student-teacher ratio, but the combination of declining upper-grade reading and science scores, high absenteeism, and a sliding overall ranking indicates that sustaining gains through the upper elementary years is the school’s biggest challenge.