Schools in Zip Code 28678

ZIP code 28678 is served by a single public school, Stony Point Elementary, a PK–5 elementary school in the Alexander County Schools district, enrolling 237 students in a small, high-poverty community where nearly every child (98.73%) qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

Because Stony Point Elementary is the only school in this ZIP code, its profile is best understood as a school of sharp contrasts. The most impressive finding is 5th-grade mathematics: 78.3% of 5th graders scored proficient in 2025–2026, far outpacing the district (58.9%) and state (62.9%) averages. That same group also posted strong 5th-grade science scores (65.2%), essentially matching the district and state. These bright spots, however, are overshadowed by across-the-board reading struggles. Reading proficiency lags the state by 17 to 20 percentage points in every tested grade, and the gap widens as students get older — from 17.1 points behind in 3rd grade to 20.5 points behind in 5th grade. The result is a highly unusual 43.5-point gap between the 5th grade math (78.3%) and reading (34.8%) proficiency rates, compared to just a 7-point gap statewide. Reading is clearly the school’s biggest barrier to a higher ranking, which fell from the 51st percentile in 2024–2025 to the 26th percentile in 2025–2026.

Despite extreme poverty, attendance is a notable strength. Stony Point’s chronic absenteeism rate is just 12.9%, far better than the district’s 17.4% and the state’s 24.2%. Year-over-year data reveal uneven progress that may point to cohort-specific challenges: 3rd-grade math dropped from 73.7% to 56.4% and 4th-grade math fell from 60.0% to 44.4%, while 5th-grade math improved by 12.9 points and reading declined sharply in 5th grade. For families, the takeaway is that Stony Point Elementary offers areas of genuine excellence, especially in upper-elementary math and science, but its overall performance is held back by persistent reading deficits and inconsistent math instruction across grade levels. With no other schools in 28678, families with older children must look beyond the ZIP code for middle and high school options.