Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28729

Summary:

The 28729 zip code is home to a single standout elementary school, Etowah Elementary, which serves grades PK-5 and has a total enrollment of 300 students. Etowah Elementary is part of the Henderson County Schools district, which is ranked 86 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Etowah Elementary is a high-performing school, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and impressive proficiency rates on state assessments. In mathematics, 85.7% of 3rd graders, 66% of 4th graders, and 75% of 5th graders scored proficient or better, significantly outperforming the district and state averages. The school's reading proficiency rates also exceed the district and state, ranging from 58.9% to 70.2% across the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Additionally, Etowah Elementary's 5th-grade science proficiency rate of 77.1% is well above the district and state averages.

Despite serving a high-need student population, with 99% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, Etowah Elementary has been able to achieve these strong academic results. The school's per-student spending of $10,276 is higher than the state average, and its relatively low student-teacher ratio of 14.4 may also contribute to its success. Etowah Elementary's continuous improvement, from ranking 387th in the state in 2022-2023 to 224th in 2024-2025, suggests that the school is employing effective strategies that could be replicated at other schools serving similar demographics.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Etowah Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	320 Etowah School Road	Etowah	28729	Henderson County	Henderson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 891-6560	302	22	13.9	52.6%	228 (75.5%)	3 (1.0%)	55 (18.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.0%)	81.8	224^th of 1490 public elementary schools	85.0%		71.6	375^th of 1505 public elementary schools	75.1%	151	85.7	66.0	75.0	58.9	69.8	70.2	77.1	$10,276	$964	$9,313

Cities Near Zip Code 28729

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Etowah	0.99 mi	1	35^th
Mills River	4.57 mi	2	14^th
Pisgah Forest	5.69 mi	1	69^th
Hendersonville	5.82 mi	14	174^th
Brevard	7 mi	5	284^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.