Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28739

Zip code 28739 serves the Hendersonville, North Carolina area and contains exactly one public school, Atkinson Elementary, a K-5 school in the Henderson County Schools district — the only public school option in the area, with no public middle or high schools located within this zip code.

Atkinson Elementary is a standout school. It currently ranks in the top 20% of North Carolina elementary schools, holding an 81st percentile ranking and a 4-star rating in both 2023–2024 and 2025–2026, with one dip to the 67th percentile in between. The school outperforms both its district and the state in every tested subject and grade in the most recent year, with particularly strong results in 3rd grade math (88.6% proficiency) and 5th grade reading (81.8% proficiency). Chronic absenteeism is also a bright spot: just 11.3% of students are chronically absent, compared to 14.5% for Henderson County Schools and 24.2% statewide. With a student-teacher ratio of 13.2 and more than 42% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, the school is achieving strong results despite serving a significant share of economically disadvantaged students.

The most recent year saw dramatic academic improvement at Atkinson Elementary, including a 25.5 percentage-point jump in 5th grade reading proficiency and a 21.3-point jump in 3rd grade math proficiency. The only decline was in 4th grade reading, which still remains above district and state averages. Parents should note, however, that with only 288 students enrolled, each grade cohort is small, so year-over-year swings can be influenced by the make-up of individual classes as much as by instruction. Overall, Atkinson Elementary is a high-performing, attendance-strong elementary school that ranks in the top 20% of elementary schools statewide.