Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28906

Summary:

The 28906 zip code area in North Carolina is home to 10 schools, including 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 4 high schools, all part of the Cherokee County Schools district. While the district as a whole is ranked 138 out of 242 in the state, with a 2-star rating, some standout schools in the area demonstrate strong academic performance.

Peachtree Elementary consistently outperforms the district and state averages on standardized tests, with 3rd-5th grade proficiency rates often exceeding 70% in both math and reading. It has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranks in the top 15% of North Carolina elementary schools. Similarly, Tri-County Early College High also performs very well, with high proficiency rates on end-of-course exams, a 4-star rating, and a ranking in the top 20% of North Carolina high schools. In contrast, The Oaks Academy struggles, with low proficiency rates on state assessments despite spending the most per student in the area.

A notable characteristic of the schools in the 28906 zip code is the extremely high free/reduced lunch rates, ranging from 94.23% to 99.42%, indicating significant socioeconomic challenges facing the communities. While there is no clear correlation between per-student spending and academic outcomes, the data suggests a need to focus on building a strong academic foundation in the elementary years, as proficiency rates tend to be higher in the earlier grades compared to middle and high school.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	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	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hiwassee Dam Middle	Public	6-8	337 Blue Eagle Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 644-5115	122	9	13.5	96.7%	107 (87.7%)	1 (0.8%)	8 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	67.9				77.2	150^th of 793 public middle schools	81.1%	(n/a)								67.6	57.5	68.3				37.8	57.5	63.4		85.4	$13,929	$1,973	$11,956
Martins Creek Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1459 Tobe Stalcup Road	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 837-2831	137	9	14.6	97.8%	122 (89.1%)	3 (2.2%)	6 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.2%)	36.1	979^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.3%		67.9	444^th of 1505 public elementary schools	70.5%	535					50.0	33.3	50.0				45.0	53.3	54.2				50.0		$14,033	$1,512	$12,522
Murphy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	315 Valley River Avenue	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 837-2424	467	39	11.9	99.4%	386 (82.7%)	11 (2.4%)	18 (3.9%)	6 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	42 (9.0%)	52.9	692^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	53.6%		46.1	817^th of 1505 public elementary schools	45.7%	125					61.0	53.7	54.3				44.2	58.2	58.6				68.6		$12,640	$1,376	$11,264
Murphy High	Public	9-12	234 High School Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-2426	424	20	20.8	99.3%	340 (80.2%)	13 (3.1%)	36 (8.5%)	7 (1.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.9%)	51.2	285^th of 641 public high schools	55.5%		53.4	279^th of 640 public high schools	56.4%	6	47.7	55.9	50.0	67.6															$10,724	$1,248	$9,476
Peachtree Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	30 Upper Peachtree Road	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 837-2479	166	14	11.6	97.6%	142 (85.5%)	2 (1.2%)	12 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.2%)	81.5	231^st of 1490 public elementary schools	84.5%		71.2	384^th of 1505 public elementary schools	74.5%	153					84.0	70.6	81.0				66.7	47.1	76.2				81.0		$14,802	$1,757	$13,045
Ranger Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	101 Hardy Truett Road	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 644-5111	264	20	13.3	98.9%	241 (91.3%)	2 (0.8%)	13 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	55.3	648^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.5%		64	508^th of 1505 public elementary schools	66.2%	140					55.3	68.3	69.7				38.3	56.1	51.5				78.8		$11,981	$1,248	$10,733
Murphy Middle	Public	6-8	65 Middle School Drive	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-0160	353	23	15.4	99.2%	299 (84.7%)	7 (2.0%)	19 (5.4%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.2%)	55.4	322^nd of 773 public middle schools	58.3%		56.7	316^th of 793 public middle schools	60.2%	6								54.8	53.3	27.2				58.7	59.8	51.5		77.7	$10,209	$1,096	$9,114
The Oaks Academy	Public	6-12	The Oaks Academy	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(828) 837-6775	43	6	7.4	79.1%	39 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.3%)	8.2	605^th of 641 public high schools	5.6%					(n/a)	27.3	12.5								8.3						16.7		25.0	$16,426	$280	$16,146
Hiwassee Dam High	Public	9-12	267 Blue Eagle Circle	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 644-5115	137	9	15.9	97.8%	127 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.4%)	33	424^th of 641 public high schools	33.9%		27.8	469^th of 640 public high schools	26.7%	45	39.1	70.0	36.8	29.7															$12,078	$452	$11,625
Tri-County Early College High	Public	9-12	Tri-County Early College High	Murphy	28906	Cherokee County	Cherokee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(828) 837-6775	153	8	18.5	96.1%	112 (73.2%)	4 (2.6%)	24 (15.7%)	4 (2.6%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.2%)	83.6	117^th of 641 public high schools	81.7%		77.7	140^th of 640 public high schools	78.1%	23	69.0	90.5	62.5	85.7															$7,830	$280	$7,549

Cities Near Zip Code 28906

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Murphy	4.79 mi	10	250^th
Hayesville	17.6 mi	4	123^rd
Andrews	19.23 mi	3	391^st
Robbinsville	25.38 mi	3	415^th
Topton	30.66 mi	1

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.