Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28638

There is just one elementary school serving zip code 28638 — Hudson Elementary — which educates students in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Caldwell County Schools district. Hudson Elementary has earned a 3-star state rating and ranks in the 62nd percentile of North Carolina elementary schools, up from the 58th percentile three years ago. This upward momentum is notable because roughly 97% of its 665 students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the school continues to outperform expectations.

In the most recent testing year, Hudson Elementary beat its district average in 6 out of 7 grade and subject combinations. The school’s strengths are especially clear at the 5th-grade level, where proficiency rates are well above both the district and state averages: 80% in science (vs. 62% district and 67.7% state), 74% in math (vs. 53.2% district and 62.9% state), and 69.2% in reading (vs. 50.1% district and 55.3% state). Year-over-year gains were widespread, with 5th-grade reading jumping an impressive 20.2 points and science rising 7.5 points. However, 4th-grade reading dropped 10.4 points to 51.6% proficiency, making it the school’s weakest subject and grade level, below both district and state averages. Encouragingly, chronic absenteeism at Hudson Elementary is 18.6% — lower than the district’s 23.2% and the state’s 24.2% — despite the school’s high poverty rate.

With a student-teacher ratio of 19.4 and per-pupil spending of $9,567 (based on 2018–2019 data, so likely outdated), Hudson Elementary remains the only elementary school serving this zip code, meaning families in the Hudson area rely on this single school. Its state rank has improved from 631st to 573rd over the past three years, while maintaining a steady 3-star rating. A positive outlier in a district that ranks in the lower third of North Carolina, Hudson Elementary combines consistent improvement with standout 5th-grade achievement. The clearest opportunity for growth lies in 4th-grade reading, while the school demonstrates that high poverty does not preclude strong academic performance in several areas.