Best Public Schools in Zip Code 28168

Summary:

The 28168 zip code area is home to three elementary schools - North Brook Elementary, Union Elementary, and Banoak Elementary. These schools serve students in grades K-5 and are part of the Lincoln County Schools and Catawba County Schools districts.

Among the three schools, Union Elementary stands out as a top performer, ranking 200 out of 1,505 North Carolina elementary schools and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school consistently excels in state assessments, particularly in 3rd-5th grade math and 5th grade science, where its proficiency rates exceed the district and state averages. Banoak Elementary also impresses with its strong 3rd grade math and 5th grade science scores, though its performance in other areas is more mixed.

While the schools generally perform above the district and state averages, they face socioeconomic challenges, with high free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 55.42% at Union Elementary to 67.03% at North Brook Elementary. This suggests the need for targeted interventions and support to address the impact of these challenges on student learning and achievement.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				EOG Mathematics (2024)				EOG Reading (2024)				EOG Science (2024)	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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Banoak Elementary	Public	K-6	7651 W NC 10 Hwy	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Catawba County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 462-2849	271	20	13.6	64.6%	220 (81.2%)	9 (3.3%)	20 (7.4%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (6.3%)	69.2	421^st of 1505 public elementary schools	72.0%		49.7	775^th of 1502 public elementary schools	48.4%	354	83.3	57.5	63.5	50.0	66.7	60.0	59.6	47.8	86.5	$9,603	$1,411	$8,191
Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4875 Reepsville Rd	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-1493	323	23	14.2	99.1%	289 (89.5%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.9%)	83.2	200^th of 1505 public elementary schools	86.7%		88.7	127^th of 1502 public elementary schools	91.5%	73	78.7	75.9	72.1		55.3	70.7	67.4		84.1	$10,166	$909	$9,257
North Brook Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	642 Hwy 274	Vale	28168	Lincoln County	Lincoln County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 276-2479	351	25	14.2	98.9%	309 (88.0%)	3 (0.9%)	22 (6.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.6%)	64.5	495^th of 1505 public elementary schools	67.1%		61.7	549^th of 1502 public elementary schools	63.4%	54	76.1	82.7	62.7		45.7	65.4	49.2		61.0	$9,492	$999	$8,493

Cities Near Zip Code 28168

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lincolnton	1.57 mi	14	257^th
Vale	2.19 mi	3	71^st
Fallston	6.7 mi	1	341^st
Cherryville	7.52 mi	4	235^th
Lawndale	8.37 mi	2	223^rd

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.