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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28630

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

1,788

Students

Top rankedGranite Falls Elementary399^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Granite Falls Elementary up 34 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 28630, serving the Granite Falls, NC area, contains four public elementary schools — Granite Falls Elementary, Baton Elementary, Dudley Shoals Elementary, and Sawmills Elementary — all serving grades PK-5 within Caldwell County Schools, a district ranked 162 out of 246 North Carolina districts (34th percentile, 2 stars). All four schools serve nearly identical student populations with approximately 99 percent free/reduced lunch eligibility, reflecting highly economically disadvantaged communities.

Granite Falls Elementary stands out as the highest-performing school in this zip code, ranking 399th of 1,492 elementary schools statewide (73rd percentile, 4 stars) for 2025-2026, with every EOG proficiency rate above both district and state averages. Its average proficiency (68.1%) exceeds Sawmills Elementary's (51.0%) by roughly 17 points, and a 39.8-point gap exists between these two schools in 4th grade Math. Sawmills is the lowest performer, ranking 1,049th (30th percentile, 1 star), with no scores at or above state averages. Baton Elementary (654th, 56th percentile, 3 stars) shows strong 3rd grade results but slips in 4th grade, while Dudley Shoals Elementary (910th, 39th percentile, 2 stars) excels in 5th grade Science but struggles in 3rd grade Reading.

Notably, demographics do not explain these gaps since all four schools share virtually identical poverty levels. Spending does not align with outcomes either: Sawmills spends the most per student ($11,245) while Granite Falls spends the least ($8,703), yet Sawmills posts the weakest scores. All four schools have chronic absenteeism rates (14.3% to 18.0%) well below the district rate of 23.2% and state rate of 24.2%. Student-teacher ratios also do not track with performance — Granite Falls has the highest ratio (18.4) yet the best results. For parents, Granite Falls is the clear academic standout, Baton and Dudley Shoals fall in the middle, and Sawmills appears to be the highest-need school despite its higher spending.

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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 Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Baton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 Baton School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 728-9531	357	23	15.4	99.2%	303 (84.9%)	6 (1.7%)	29 (8.1%)	3 (0.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.9%)	55	654^th of 1492 public elementary schools	56.2%		60	564^th of 1490 public elementary schools	62.1%	90	78.7	53.8	61.2	66.0	50.0	53.1	69.4	$9,953	$1,175	$8,778
Dudley Shoals Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1500 Dudley Shoals Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-3457	433	26	16.4	99.3%	369 (85.2%)	6 (1.4%)	25 (5.8%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.5%)	39.7	910^th of 1492 public elementary schools	39.0%		49.5	751^st of 1490 public elementary schools	49.6%	159	47.1	48.5	63.4	39.7	60.6	46.5	71.8	$9,484	$1,010	$8,473
Granite Falls Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	60 N Highland Avenue	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2222	647	35	18.4	99.2%	506 (78.2%)	22 (3.4%)	84 (13.0%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.3%)	70.8	399^th of 1492 public elementary schools	73.3%		67.8	433^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	70.9%	34	69.0	75.2	68.8	60.9	70.9	59.1	73.1	$8,703	$796	$7,907
Sawmills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4436 Sawmills School Road	Granite Falls	28630	Caldwell County	Caldwell County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 396-2610	351	20	17.2	99.1%	272 (77.5%)	7 (2.0%)	46 (13.1%)	5 (1.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.7%)	32.5	1049^th of 1492 public elementary schools	29.7%		36.5	973^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	34.7%	76	51.0	35.4	58.8	51.0	52.1	52.9	55.9	$11,245	$974	$10,271

Cities Near Zip Code 28630

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Hudson	0.51 mi	5	132^nd
Granite Falls	1.24 mi	6	184^th
Hickory	4.83 mi	17	200^th
Valdese	5.94 mi	4	141^st
Connelly Springs	6.06 mi	4	145^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.