Summary:
ZIP code 28673 contains exactly one public school: Sherrills Ford Elementary, a K–6 campus with 633 students in Sherrills Ford, NC, within Catawba County Schools. Since the ZIP code has no middle schools or high schools, this is the only school option in 28673, and students must leave the area for secondary school. That makes this single campus the sole focus for parents researching school quality here.
Academically, Sherrills Ford is above average, with math as its clear strength. In the most recent EOG year, average math proficiency was roughly 73.1%, compared to 66.6% for the district and 62.5% for the state. The school beat the state in math at every tested grade, with the biggest edge in 6th grade (73.2% vs. 59.2%). Reading is more uneven. Sixth-grade reading is a highlight at 66% proficiency, well above the district (52.6%) and state (54.8%), and 4th grade also tops both. However, 3rd-grade reading is near the state average, and 5th-grade reading falls just below it. The largest internal gap is in 3rd grade, where math proficiency (78.9%) outpaces reading (55.8%) by 23 points. Fifth-grade science also trails the district by 2.7 points.
Outside test scores, the standout metric is chronic absenteeism: just 12.1%, less than half the state's 24.2% and well below the district's 18.0%. That is especially notable given 42.34% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. One caution is the ranking trend: the school dropped from the 79th percentile (4 stars) in 2024–2025 to the 68th percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026. The slide appears tied largely to a single 5th-grade cohort that saw broad declines in math, reading, and science in the same year. Overall, parents will find one above-average elementary school with strong math instruction and excellent attendance, but with room for attention in early reading and 5th-grade outcomes.
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