Forest Hills is a 659-acre area of older homes between Market Street and Oleander Drive in ZIP code 28403, zoned for Forest Hills Global Elementary.

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Sources: the City of Wilmington’s neighborhood planning areas, historic districts and parks map layers, New Hanover County’s address points, New Hanover County Schools’ School Locator, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2025-26 school test data, the Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Research), New Hanover County’s 2025 Wave Transit map and © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forest Hills lies east of the older city grid, between Market Street and Oleander Drive, with tree-lined streets of older single-family houses and some apartment complexes. On the city’s planning map it is the Forest Hills planning area, about 659 acres, and OpenStreetMap names Forest Hills as a place there.

What this means for you

  • Zoned high school: New Hanover High for all but one residential address. Check an exact address with the district’s School Locator.
  • Home value: $397,870 in ZIP code 28403 in August 2026, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.
  • Nearest interstate: I-40 exit 420, where the interstate meets College Road, about 5.2 miles by road.

Part of our Wilmington neighborhoods guide.

Where it is

The city’s planning map lists Forest Hills, Oleander, Colonial Village, Country Club Pines, Glen Arden, Beaumont, Brookwood, Spofford, Octavia and Wood Crest inside the planning area. Wrightsville Avenue runs through the middle and has more homes on it than any other street, by New Hanover County’s address points; Confederate Drive, Wayne Drive, Forest Hills Drive, Colonial Drive, Park Avenue and Country Club Road follow.

The Brookwood Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and described on the city’s historic districts layer as a 1930s to 1960s residential district, covers 165 of the area’s residential addresses.

The county’s address points show 1,651 residential addresses: 969 single homes, 659 units in apartment and condo complexes and 23 addresses on vacant lots. All are in ZIP code 28403.

Schools

We checked every residential address in the planning area against the zone map behind New Hanover County Schools’ School Locator on Oct. 11, and spot-checked addresses against the district’s 2026 zone maps. Results are the share of state tests at grade level in 2025-26, from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

Level Zoned school Addresses Tests at grade level, 2025-26
Elementary Forest Hills Global Elementary, 602 Colonial Drive 1,651 of 1,651 43.1%
Middle Williston Middle, 401 S. 10th St. 1,651 of 1,651 33.1%
High New Hanover High, 1307 Market St. 1,650 of 1,651 43.6%

The remaining address is zoned for John T. Hoggard High. Statewide, 59.1% of end-of-grade tests and 59.6% of end-of-course tests were at grade level. Williston Middle is on the state’s 2025-26 low-performing schools list with a D; Forest Hills Global Elementary was on the 2024-25 list and came off it this year. Each school name links to its NC School Report Card. More in our schools guide.

Home values

Zillow’s typical home value in ZIP code 28403 was $397,870 in August 2026, up 1.1% from $393,707 a year earlier, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. The index is a modeled typical value for the middle third of homes, houses and condos together, not a sale price. ZIP code 28403 also covers Winter Park. Zillow’s figure for Wilmington as a whole was $419,038, down 0.1%. More in our home prices guide.

Parks and trails

From the city’s parks layer, inside or at the edge of the area:

  • Beaumont Park, 101 Wayne Drive, about 4 acres
  • Thomas B. Lilly Park, 502 Forest Hills Drive
  • Triangle Park, 2900 Wrightsville Ave.
  • Wallace Park, 2110 Market St., about 13 acres, on the northern edge

See our parks and trails guide.

Getting around

  • Roads: Market Street (U.S. 17 Business) on the north, Oleander Drive (U.S. 76) on the south and Wrightsville Avenue through the middle.
  • I-40: exit 420 is about 5.2 miles by road.
  • Downtown and City Hall: about 2.6 miles.
  • Wilmington International Airport: about 6.7 miles. Distances are measured on the OpenStreetMap road network with the OSRM routing engine from the middle of the area’s homes; they are distances, not drive times.
  • Bus: Wave Transit routes 105, 106, 108 (Market Street) and 206 (Oleander Drive) stop in the area on the county’s 2025 transit map. Check Wave Transit at 910-343-0106. More in our getting around guide.

Groceries and everyday stores

From OpenStreetMap: a Food Lion on Oleander Drive inside the area, and nearby a Harris Teeter on Oleander Drive, Whole Foods Market at 3804 Oleander Drive and a CVS Pharmacy on Market Street.

How we drew this area

This page follows the Forest Hills boundary on the City of Wilmington’s neighborhood planning areas map. Home counts and ZIP codes come from New Hanover County’s address points inside that boundary. Road distances and store locations use © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Frequently asked questions

What schools is Forest Hills in Wilmington zoned for?

All 1,651 residential addresses in the city’s Forest Hills planning area are zoned for Forest Hills Global Elementary and Williston Middle, and all but one for New Hanover High, according to New Hanover County Schools’ zone map.

What ZIP code is Forest Hills in Wilmington?

  1. Every residential address in the planning area is in that ZIP code, according to New Hanover County’s address records.

Is Forest Hills a good place to live?

Here are the facts. Forest Hills is a 659-acre area of older single-family homes and apartments about 2.6 miles from downtown, with four city parks and a grocery store inside or at its edge, zoned for New Hanover High. The typical home value in ZIP code 28403 was $397,870 in August 2026, according to Zillow.

Which neighborhoods are in Forest Hills?

The city’s planning map lists Forest Hills, Oleander, Colonial Village, Country Club Pines, Glen Arden, Beaumont, Brookwood, Spofford, Octavia and Wood Crest inside the Forest Hills planning area.