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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 28906

At a glance

Schools

1,034

Students

Top rankedPeachtree Elementary512^th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Martins Creek Elementary up 425 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

Zip code 28906 is home to four public elementary schools—Murphy Elementary, Ranger Elementary, Peachtree Elementary, and Martins Creek Elementary—all serving grades PK-5 with a combined 1,034 students within Cherokee County Schools. All four schools serve highly disadvantaged populations, with free/reduced-price lunch rates between 97.6% and 99.4%, yet several post proficiency results competitive with state averages. Chronic absenteeism is a widespread challenge, ranging from 27.9% at Ranger to 50.6% at Peachtree, far above the statewide rate of 24.2%.

Peachtree Elementary stands out as the top performer, ranked 512th of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools (66th percentile) with a 65.5% average EOG proficiency rate; its 4th grade math and reading scores of 78.3% are especially strong. Martins Creek Elementary showed the greatest improvement, jumping from the 34th to the 63rd percentile in one year, with standout 3rd grade proficiency of 87.5% in math and 83.3% in reading. Murphy Elementary, the largest school, has improved steadily for three straight years, climbing from the 46th to the 60th percentile despite 99.4% poverty and 42.7% chronic absenteeism. Ranger Elementary is the main area of concern, declining from the 66th to the 45th percentile over three years, with only 38% of 4th graders proficient in either math or reading.

Because these schools enroll only 137 to 467 students, proficiency rates can swing dramatically from year to year based on a single cohort—a few students can drive large changes. Ranger's 4th grade math fell from 68.3% to 38% in one year, while Martins Creek's 3rd grade math jumped from 50% to 87.5%; these shifts should not be over-interpreted as school quality changes. The clearest academic weakness is 5th grade science: only Ranger (75%) exceeds the state average of 67.7%, while Peachtree (50%), Martins Creek (57.9%), and Murphy (59.1%) lag behind. Overall, Peachtree and Martins Creek currently offer the strongest academics, Murphy shows the most promising steady trajectory, and Ranger deserves closer monitoring due to its downward trend and weak 4th grade results.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners up to date on all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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%)	61.6	554^th of 1492 public elementary schools	62.9%		36.1	979^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.3%	425	87.5	47.6	57.9	83.3	63.6	57.9	57.9	76%	12%	$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	—	386 (82.7%)	11 (2.4%)	18 (3.9%)	6 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	42 (9.0%)	59.4	592^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	60.3%		52.9	692^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	53.6%	100	65.9	65.3	68.2	63.4	63.9	56.1	59.1	81.4%	11.9%	$12,640	$1,376	$11,264
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%)	64.3	512^th of 1492 public elementary schools	65.7%		81.5	231^st of 1490 public elementary schools	84.5%	281	66.7	78.3	68.8	60.0	78.3	56.3	50.0	81.8%	13.6%	$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	—	241 (91.3%)	2 (0.8%)	13 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	45.1	823^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	44.8%		55.3	648^th of 1490 public elementary schools	56.5%	175	64.1	38.0	65.0	61.5	38.0	57.5	75.0	85.7%	14.3%	$11,981	$1,248	$10,733

Cities Near Zip Code 28906

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Murphy	4.79 mi	10	202^nd
Hayesville	17.6 mi	4	172^nd
Andrews	19.23 mi	3	398^th
Robbinsville	25.38 mi	3	447^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.