Summary:
Zip code 28715 in Candler, North Carolina, is home to two public middle-level schools in Buncombe County Schools: Enka Intermediate, serving grades 5–6 with 585 students, and Enka Middle, serving grades 7–8 with 588 students. Together these schools form a continuous feeder pattern, and both serve a highly economically disadvantaged population, with a free/reduced-price lunch rate of 99.49% at each campus. When comparing the two, Enka Intermediate is currently the stronger school academically, with an average EOG proficiency of 54.96% in 2025–2026 versus 49.10% at Enka Middle.
Enka Intermediate also has much lower chronic absenteeism at 19.6%, while Enka Middle has a rate of 28.9% — well above both the district and state averages. Academically, science is a bright spot at both schools: Enka Intermediate's 5th-grade science proficiency (67.2%) is above the district and essentially tied with the state, and Enka Middle's 8th-grade science rate (66.9%) sits just below the state average. Math is the biggest weakness, especially at Enka Middle, where 8th-grade math proficiency (40.9%) trails the state by 12.1 points and 7th-grade math (44.5%) trails by 11.7 points.
The most encouraging trend is at Enka Middle, which made substantial gains between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. Eighth-grade math jumped from 25.3% to 40.9% proficiency (+15.6 points), and 8th-grade science rose from 56.9% to 66.9% (+10.0 points). Despite this real progress, Enka Middle still ranks in the 34th percentile statewide, so it remains below average overall. For parents, the key takeaway is that these two schools are essentially one pipeline: students who do well at Enka Intermediate will move into Enka Middle, where disengagement and chronic absenteeism rise sharply. Enka Middle also spends more per pupil ($9,775 vs. $9,013 at Enka Intermediate) yet lags on outcomes, suggesting that additional funding alone is not closing the achievement gap.
Thank you for your feedback!