Top Rankings
Lee County Schools ranks among the top 20% of public school district in North Carolina for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2026-27 school year, there are 13 public elementary schools serving 6,257 students in Lee County Schools. This district's average elementary testing ranking is 4/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public elementary schools in North Carolina.
Public Elementary Schools in Lee County Schools have an average math proficiency score of 46% (versus the North Carolina public elementary school average of 50%), and reading proficiency score of 41% (versus the 49% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 69% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the North Carolina public elementary school average of 58% (majority Black and Hispanic).
Overview
This School District
This State (NC)
# Schools
16 Schools
2,146 Schools
# Students
9,131 Students
1,094,560 Students
# Teachers
566 Teachers
71,669 Teachers
Student-Teacher Ratio
16:1
16:1
Student By Grade
District Rank
Lee County Schools, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 314 school districts in North Carolina (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 82% has decreased from 89% over five school years.
Overall District Rank
#212 out of 325 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
(Bottom 50%)
Math Test Scores (% Proficient)
(21-22)46%
51%
Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient)
42%
50%
Science Test Scores (% Proficient)
59%
63%
Graduation Rate
82%
86.5%
Chronically Absent Students
(2022-23)24.3%
28.7%
Students by Ethnicity:
Diversity Score
0.68
0.72
% American Indian
n/a
1%
% Asian
1%
5%
% Hispanic
44%
22%
% Black
20%
24%
% White
30%
42%
% Hawaiian
n/a
n/a
% Two or more races
5%
6%
All Ethnic Groups
District Revenue and Spending
The revenue/student of $13,904 is higher than the state median of $13,318. The school district revenue/student has declined by 10% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $13,969 is higher than the state median of $13,934. The school district spending/student has grown by 10% over four school years.
Total Revenue
$127 MM
$20,622 MM
Spending
$128 MM
$21,575 MM
Revenue / Student
$13,904
$13,318
Spending / Student
$13,969
$13,934
Best Lee County Schools Public Elementary Schools (2026-27)
School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Quick Facts
Rank: #11.
Tramway Elementary School
(Math: 64% | Reading: 61%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
360 Center Church Road
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 718-0170
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 718-0170
Gr: K-5 | 559 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 46%
Rank: #22.
Greenwood Elementary School
(Math: 66% | Reading: 57%)
Rank:
Rank:
8/
Top 30%10
1127 Greenwood Rd
Lemon Springs, NC 28355
(919) 776-0506
Lemon Springs, NC 28355
(919) 776-0506
Gr: K-5 | 571 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 57%
Rank: #33.
Bt Bullock Elementary School
(Math: 56% | Reading: 48%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
1410 Mcneill Road
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 718-0160
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 718-0160
Gr: K-5 | 511 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 66%
Rank: #44.
Deep River Elementary School
(Math: 61% | Reading: 44%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
4000 Deep River Rd
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 776-2722
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 776-2722
Gr: K-5 | 557 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 71%
Rank: #55.
J Glenn Edwards Elementary School
(Math: 57% | Reading: 42%)
Rank:
Rank:
6/
Top 50%10
3115 Cemetery Rd
Sanford, NC 27332
(919) 774-3733
Sanford, NC 27332
(919) 774-3733
Gr: K-5 | 587 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 69%
Rank: #66.
J R Ingram Jr Elementary School
(Math: 50% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
3309 Wicker St
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 774-3772
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 774-3772
Gr: K-5 | 419 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 61%
Rank: #77.
Sanlee Middle School
(Math: 49% | Reading: 43%)
Rank:
Rank:
5/
Bottom 50%10
2309 Tramway Rd
Sanford, NC 27332
(919) 708-7227
Sanford, NC 27332
(919) 708-7227
Gr: 6-8 | 792 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 70%
Rank: #88.
Broadway Elementary School
(Math: 42% | Reading: 39%)
Rank:
Rank:
4/
Bottom 50%10
307 S Main St
Broadway, NC 27505
(919) 258-3828
Broadway, NC 27505
(919) 258-3828
Gr: PK-5 | 490 students Student-teacher ratio: 16:1 Minority enrollment: 69%
Rank: #99.
Wb Wicker Elementary School
(Math: 42% | Reading: 30%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
900 S Vance St
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 897-5400
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 897-5400
Gr: K-5 | 588 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 92%
Rank: #1010.
West Lee Middle School
(Math: 32% | Reading: 37%)
Rank:
Rank:
3/
Bottom 50%10
3301 Wicker St
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 775-7351
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 775-7351
Gr: 6-8 | 522 students Student-teacher ratio: 14:1 Minority enrollment: 81%
Rank: #1111.
East Lee Middle School
(Math: 30% | Reading: 32%)
Rank:
Rank:
2/
Bottom 50%10
1337 Broadway Rd
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 776-8441
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 776-8441
Gr: 6-8 | 526 students Student-teacher ratio: 15:1 Minority enrollment: 72%
Rank: #1212.
Floyd L Knight Children Center
Special Education School
(Math: ≤20% | Reading: ≤20%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
607 W Mcintosh St
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 774-4634
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 774-4634
Gr: PK-12 | 95 students Student-teacher ratio: 7:1 Minority enrollment: 61%
Rank: #1313.
Bragg Street Academy
Alternative School
(Math: ≤10% | Reading: 11-19%)
Rank:
Rank:
1/
Bottom 50%10
504 Bragg Street
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 775-2686
Sanford, NC 27330
(919) 775-2686
Gr: 6-12 | 40 students Student-teacher ratio: 7:1 Minority enrollment: 82%
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