Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28625

Zip code 28625 in Statesville, North Carolina covers four PK-5 elementary schools — Central Elementary, Cloverleaf Elementary, East Iredell Elementary, and Scotts Elementary — all serving students in the Iredell-Statesville Schools district, a 3-star district that enrolls about 1,845 students across these schools, nearly all of whom come from low-income families.

Central Elementary is the clear standout: it earns a 74th-percentile state ranking (382 of 1,492) and 4 stars, and it is the only school in the zip code above district and state averages in math, reading, and science — roughly 74%, 63%, and 71%, respectively. Scotts Elementary sits at the 50th percentile but posts the highest 5th-grade science proficiency at 78.4%, far above the 67.7% state average. Cloverleaf Elementary (23rd percentile) and East Iredell Elementary (13th percentile) rank at the bottom, with East Iredell running about 20 points below the district in math and 12 points below in reading.

Notably, the differences among these schools cannot be explained by poverty alone. Although nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, Central proves a high-poverty school can still beat district and state averages. Spending and class size don't line up with outcomes either: Cloverleaf spends the most per pupil yet performs low, while Central Elementary spends the least and performs best. Chronic absenteeism runs below the state rate of 24.2% in all four schools, and 5th-grade reading improved sharply across the board, with Scotts Elementary gaining more than 21 points. Parents should weigh each school's individual strengths rather than assuming these similar communities produce similar results.