Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 28625

Zip code 28625 in Statesville, North Carolina, is served by two public middle schools—West Iredell Middle and East Iredell Middle—both part of Iredell-Statesville Schools and both serving grades 6 through 8.

West Iredell Middle is the stronger performer of the two. It ranks 560th out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (28th percentile, 1 star), while East Iredell Middle ranks 739th (bottom 5%, 0 stars)—a position it has held for three consecutive years. The achievement gap is wide and consistent across every subject and grade level. In 2025–2026, West Iredell posted 42.2% math proficiency and 42.5% reading proficiency, compared to just 23.5% math and 30.1% reading at East Iredell. The largest disparity appears in 8th-grade science: 69.4% of West Iredell students were proficient, exceeding both the district (64.9%) and state (68.6%) averages, while East Iredell’s science proficiency was only 33.0%. Both schools have nearly identical economic demographics—over 99% of students at each qualify for free/reduced-price lunch—so the large performance gap points to meaningful differences in school effectiveness rather than poverty alone.

Chronic absenteeism is a serious challenge at both schools, with rates of 27.6% at West Iredell and 29.6% at East Iredell, compared to a 24.2% state average. Notably, East Iredell actually has a lower student-teacher ratio (13.3 versus 18.6) and higher per-student spending ($8,932 versus $8,394), yet it scores far lower—suggesting that resource levels alone do not explain outcomes. The good news is that both schools improved from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026 in math, reading, and science. West Iredell’s science gains were especially strong, rising 11.6 percentage points, and its overall trajectory is more promising. East Iredell also improved but remains among the lowest-ranked middle schools in the state. For parents, West Iredell Middle is clearly the stronger option in this area, with a genuine bright spot in 8th-grade science, while East Iredell Middle represents a serious concern that will need substantial intervention.