Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28804

ZIP code 28804 is home to two elementary schools — Ira B Jones Elementary and Woodfin Elementary — which together serve roughly 480 students in grades PK–5 and K–5, though the two schools belong to different districts: Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools, respectively. Despite sharing the same ZIP code, these schools have dramatically different academic profiles, and the boundary between districts marks a significant divide in school performance and student demographics.

Ira B Jones Elementary is the standout school in this area. Ranked 850th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (43rd percentile) with a 2-star rating, it sits near the middle of the state and well above its local counterpart. Its district, Asheville City Schools, ranks in the 67th percentile statewide. Ira B Jones posts strong 5th-grade results in particular: 69% proficiency in reading and 76.2% in science, both above district and state averages. It also serves a relatively mixed-income student body, with 54.5% of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, and a chronic absenteeism rate of 23.7%, just below the state average. Across all subjects, its proficiency rates improved from roughly 51.5% to 57.0% between 2024–25 and 2025–26.

Woodfin Elementary faces far more serious challenges. It ranks 1,453rd out of 1,492 schools — in the 3rd percentile with a 0-star rating — and has ranked in the bottom 6% of the state for three consecutive years. Nearly all of its students (97.3%) qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, and its chronic absenteeism rate is 27.6%, well above its district average. Proficiency rates are roughly 25 to 35 points below district and state averages in every reported grade and subject; its 3rd-grade reading proficiency was just 14.8% in 2024–25 before improving to 31.6% in 2025–26. Interestingly, Woodfin’s per-pupil spending ($17,004) and student–teacher ratio (10.2) are more favorable than Ira B Jones’s, yet outcomes remain very low — a reminder that a very small enrollment (111 students) and high poverty levels make year-to-year comparisons fragile. For parents weighing options in 28804, Ira B Jones is clearly the stronger-performing school academically, while Woodfin would require substantial support in early literacy and attendance to narrow the gap.