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C+

Lee County Schools

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 2 towns

Serves Sanford and Broadway.

Sanford’s School Grade C+ better than 40% of North Carolina school districts

Students
9,168
Schools
16
Spent per student
$13,003
NC $13,045
Students per teacher
16:1
Free or reduced lunch
99%
Debt
$37M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Lee County Schools

  • Its letter, C+: results better than 40% of North Carolina districts
  • Reading proficiency 8 pts below the state
  • 16 students per teacher
  • Debt of $37M, about $4,035 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

C+: better than 40% of the 325 North Carolina school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
C+
GraduationFour-year graduation close to the state, class of 2023
C+
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
C+Sanford 34,138C+Broadway 1,380

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Sanford. Grade by grade →

K–53 elementary schoolsThis district
6–83 middle schoolsThis district
9–123 high schoolsThis district

Test scores vs. NC

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency46%
State average 50.8% · 4,575 students tested
Reading / language arts42%
State average 49.9% · 4,928 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)86%
State average 86.5% · 802 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$13,003 per student · 0% below NC
Spending
Classroom instruction 63%Support & administration 33%Other 4%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 20%State 64%Federal 16%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
9,422’20
9,241’21
9,143’22
9,051’23
9,168’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 44%White 31%Black 20%Two or more races 5%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

16 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with North Carolina’s other public schools.

Broadway Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Broadway
C−
490 students16:1
Floyd L Knight Children Center
Other · Grades PK–12 · Sanford
D−
95 students7:1
WB Wicker Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
D
588 students14:1
J Glenn Edwards Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
C+
587 students16:1
Greenwood Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
C+
571 students15:1
Tramway Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
B
559 students14:1
Deep River Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
C
557 students16:1
BT Bullock Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
C+
511 students15:1
J R Ingram Jr Elementary
Elementary · Grades K–5 · Sanford
C+
419 students14:1
SanLee Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Sanford
C+
792 students15:1
East Lee Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Sanford
C−
526 students15:1
West Lee Middle
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Sanford
C
522 students14:1
Bragg Street Academy
High · Grades 6–12 · Sanford
D
40 students6:1
Lee County High
High · Grades 9–12 · Sanford
B−
1,459 students20:1
Southern Lee High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Sanford
B−
1,180 students21:1
Lee Early College
High · Grades 9–13 · Sanford
A+
272 students

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within North Carolina.