Summary:
Zip code 28636 in North Carolina is served by a single elementary school, Hiddenite Elementary, which enrolls about 370 students in grades PK–5 as part of Alexander County Schools. Hiddenite Elementary is a high-poverty school, with 99.19% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, yet it still manages to post some notable academic results.
In the most recent school year, the school’s biggest strength is 5th-grade science, where 80% of students scored proficient—well above both the district’s 65.5% and the state’s 67.7%. Fifth-grade reading also stands out at 58.3% proficiency, beating the district and state averages. However, math proficiency lags in every tested grade, falling roughly 10–17 percentage points behind state averages. Reading results are mixed and volatile: 4th-grade reading dropped sharply from 66.7% proficiency the prior year to just 39.2%, while 3rd-grade reading sits below state levels. This pattern suggests scores are heavily influenced by individual cohorts of students rather than showing a stable trend.
Hiddenite Elementary’s overall state ranking has improved for three straight years, moving from the 31st percentile to the 38th percentile. Chronic absenteeism is 18.7%, slightly above the district’s 17.4% but well below the state’s 24.2%, indicating relatively strong engagement despite high economic disadvantage. Given that nearly all students face poverty, beating state averages in 5th-grade science and reading is especially impressive, and the district itself is only mid-pack statewide. Parents should view single-year scores with caution, but the school’s upward momentum and bright spots in upper elementary grades offer positive signs for continued improvement.
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