Summary:
ZIP code 28778, covering the Swannanoa, North Carolina area, contains exactly one middle school: Owen Middle, which serves grades 6 through 8 and is part of Buncombe County Schools.
Because Owen Middle is the only middle school in this ZIP code, there are no nearby schools for direct comparison, so the focus is on its own progress and benchmarks. Owen Middle made remarkable academic gains between the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years. Its statewide ranking on SchoolDigger improved from the 27th percentile to the 38th percentile, and its star rating rose from 1 to 2 stars. The school’s average EOG proficiency jumped from approximately 41.8% to 51.4% — a gain of nearly 10 percentage points in one year. The strongest improvements came in 6th grade math (from 36.3% to 58.8%), 8th grade math (from 30.2% to 48.7%), and 6th grade reading (from 34.4% to 49.4%). In fact, 6th grade math proficiency now sits at 58.8%, slightly above the district average of 57.3% and essentially tied with the state average of 59.2% — making it the school’s clearest bright spot.
Despite these strong gains, Owen Middle still trails district and state averages in most subjects. Reading proficiency remains below 50% in all three grades, with the largest gaps in 7th grade reading (45.1% vs. 56.3% statewide) and 8th grade reading (45.6% vs. 56.1% statewide). Upper-grade reading actually declined slightly year over year, even as lower-grade reading improved. It is also important to note the school’s context: 96.72% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the chronic absenteeism rate is 25.3% — higher than the district’s 18.7% but close to the state’s 24.2%. Given these economic challenges, the broad academic improvement is especially noteworthy. Owen Middle is a high-poverty school showing positive momentum, but sustaining these gains and closing the remaining gaps — particularly in reading and science — will require continued effort and attention.
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