Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28660

Zip code 28660 in Olin, North Carolina contains three public schools, all from the Iredell-Statesville Schools district, serving only middle and high school students in grades 6 through 12. The three schools are North Iredell High (grades 9–12, 983 students), North Iredell Middle (grades 6–8, 556 students), and Agriculture and Science Early College (grades 9–12, 255 students). No elementary schools are listed in this area, so the data begins at the critical middle school transition point.

The standout by far is Agriculture and Science Early College, which earned 5 stars and ranks in the top 8% of North Carolina high schools, with 92%–98% proficiency on all end-of-course tests and a remarkably low 5.8% chronic absenteeism rate. In contrast, North Iredell High and North Iredell Middle both hold 2 stars and sit below the state median. The starkest difference is economic: the two traditional schools serve nearly universal free/reduced lunch populations (99.7% and 99.5%, respectively), while the early college serves just 26.3%. Chronic absenteeism also tells the story: 29.8% at North Iredell High, 15.2% at the middle school, and only 5.8% at the early college.

Academically, the early college outperforms the district and state on every subject, often by huge margins, including a 48-point advantage over North Iredell High in Math I. Even so, North Iredell High actually exceeds the state in Math I and graduates 91.4% of its students, above the state rate. North Iredell Middle beats the state in 6th-grade math and 7th-grade reading, but struggles considerably in 8th-grade math and science, suggesting students may arrive at high school underprepared. Notably, the early college spends less per student and has a higher student–teacher ratio than North Iredell High, underscoring that school model and student selection, rather than just resources, drive outcomes in this zip code.