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Southern Lee High School

Q: Is Southern Lee High School a good school?

Southern Lee High School ranks 449 th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

449^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 30% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Southern Lee High School is a public high school located in Sanford, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,185 students. The school is part of the Lee County Schools district, which is ranked 153 out of 242 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Southern Lee High School's performance, as measured by end-of-course (EOC) test scores, is generally below the state and district averages. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were lower than the state and district in Biology (42.6% vs. 48.3% and 39.2%), English II (41.7% vs. 59.6% and 42.9%), and Math I (21.1% vs. 34.4% and 18.9%). The school's four-year graduation rate has been around 85-88% in recent years, slightly below the state average. Comparisons to nearby schools, such as Overhills High and Chatham Central High, suggest that these schools generally outperform Southern Lee High School on academic measures.

The school's diverse student population includes a significant proportion of economically disadvantaged students, with around 60-63% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years. While the school's multi-racial students have performed relatively well, its English Language Learner and Special Education students have struggled, with rankings in the bottom 10-20% of North Carolina high schools. Despite these challenges, Southern Lee High School's per-student spending of $9,595 in 2018-2019 is slightly higher than the state average, and the school's student-teacher ratio of around 15-16 students per teacher is relatively low compared to the state and district averages.

1,180

Students ?

20.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,595

Per pupil spending ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2301 Tramway Road
Sanford, NC 27332

(919) 718-2400

District: Lee County Schools

Feeder schools for Southern Lee High School:

Elementary:	Greenwood Elementary
	J Glenn Edwards Elementary
	J R Ingram Junior Elementary
Middle:	SanLee Middle School
	West Lee Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.8%

White:

30.5%

African American:

21.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Southern Lee High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 31st percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (41% vs 53% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the North Carolina average (82% vs 88%)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg42%

North Carolina avg53%

449^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4High Schools in the Lee County Schools

153^rd of 242Lee County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	449 of 641	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.3	426 of 640	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	465 of 626	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.9	368 of 621	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.7	417 of 594	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	337 of 514	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.9	303 of 469	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.4	286 of 476	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.7	303 of 507	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	24.9	368 of 531	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	19.9	352 of 451	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.4	356 of 505	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	31.3	367 of 502	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	44.8	325 of 506	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	33.4	387 of 499	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	32.9	377 of 490	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	43.5	299 of 477	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.0	326 of 453	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	40.0	304 of 431	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	323 of 440	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	250 of 437	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	331 of 434	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.3	240 of 430	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	254 of 364	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.2	251 of 369	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.7	234 of 359	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	21.6	289 of 330	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	308 of 364	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.1	283 of 349	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	261 of 273	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	240 of 262	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	226 of 226	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	116 of 156	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	123 of 124	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	29.0	142 of 173	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	86 of 147	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.7	410 of 610	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.2	400 of 602	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	438 of 588	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	371 of 594	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.7	356 of 475	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	33.3	321 of 475	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	281 of 449	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.4	375 of 412	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	39.6	311 of 403	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	363 of 403	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.3	284 of 398	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	271 of 337	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	243 of 325	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	78.5	8 of 100	92.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	313 of 462	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	276 of 454	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.3	332 of 449	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.2	265 of 436	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.0	256 of 370	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.8	269 of 354	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	249 of 340	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	84.2	2 of 47	95.7%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.0	393 of 606	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	346 of 613	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.2	405 of 597	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.3	231 of 544	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	29.8	273 of 432	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.3	268 of 446	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	249 of 424	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.7	473 of 601	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	431 of 607	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	461 of 602	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.3	344 of 585	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.5	298 of 481	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.2	345 of 488	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	339 of 463	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	11.7	47 of 49	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	37 of 48	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	209 of 253	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	49.5	129 of 261	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	70.4	47 of 226	79.2%	★★★★☆
2021	32.9	133 of 199	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	17.0	334 of 352	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	77.7	30 of 349	91.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	34.5	380 of 542	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.5	380 of 553	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.4	428 of 537	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.4	304 of 534	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	280 of 439	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.5	268 of 444	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.1	308 of 427	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Homeless (2024)96th percentile+62 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)35th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)33rd percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile~ school

White (2025)30th percentile~ school

African American (2025)27th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)17th percentile-13 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-28 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)9th percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile-25 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile-26 vs school

Military Connected (2024)4th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Math III61%-5 vs state

Biology43%-6 vs state

English II42%-18 vs state

Math I21%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southern Lee High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	EOG Mathematics (2025)			EOG Reading (2025)			EOG Science (2025)	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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southern Lee High School	Public	9-12	2301 Tramway Road	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 718-2400	1,180	56	20.9	99.7%	360 (30.5%)	251 (21.3%)	517 (43.8%)	9 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.3%)	30.1	449^th of 641 public high schools	30.0%		32.3	426^th of 640 public high schools	33.4%	23	42.6	41.7	21.1	61.2								$9,595	$738	$8,857
Lee County High	Public	9-12	1708 Nash Street	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 776-7541	1,459	74	19.8	98.9%	416 (28.5%)	336 (23.0%)	640 (43.9%)	12 (0.8%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (3.4%)	24.1	501^st of 641 public high schools	21.8%		25.7	477^th of 640 public high schools	25.5%	24	31.9	36.0	13.0	61.9								$9,332	$595	$8,737
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County	Public, Charter	6-12	283 Harvey Faulk Road	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 842-5411	628	46	13.5		340 (54.1%)	81 (12.9%)	129 (20.5%)	8 (1.3%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	65 (10.4%)	65.4	201^st of 641 public high schools	68.6%		61.1	228^th of 640 public high schools	64.4%	27	53.6	71.6	45.0	85.2	67.8	57.8	45.6	62.2	55.6	61.1	73.3
Lee Early College	Public	9-12	1105 Kelly Drive	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 888-4502	272	7	39.6	98.9%	83 (30.5%)	22 (8.1%)	145 (53.3%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.1%)	91.3	65^th of 641 public high schools	89.9%		94.1	35^th of 640 public high schools	94.5%	30	76.8	88.2	95.5	100.0								$5,908	$41	$5,867
Bragg Street Academy	Public	6-12	504 Bragg Street	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 775-2686	40	6	6.4	90.0%	7 (17.5%)	18 (45.0%)	14 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.5%)	2.8	632^nd of 641 public high schools	1.4%					(n/a)	10.0	9.1										$20,791	$253	$20,538
Central Carolina Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1801 Douglas Drive	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Central Carolina Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(984) 977-9455	536	35	15.4	26.5%	377 (70.3%)	26 (4.9%)	82 (15.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (9.3%)								(n/a)	59.2	67.9	69.2	87.8	72.3	81.6	87.8	71.4	52.9	70.4	84.7
Union Pines High	Public	9-12	1981 Union Church Rd	Cameron	28326	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 947-5511	1,462	59	24.8	31.7%	1,027 (70.2%)	116 (7.9%)	200 (13.7%)	10 (0.7%)	9 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	99 (6.8%)	66.8	190^th of 641 public high schools	70.4%		67.3	196^th of 640 public high schools	69.4%	6	66.6	70.7	53.6	67.6								$8,499	$727	$7,773
Western Harnett High	Public	9-12	10637 NC Hwy 27 West	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 499-5113	1,324	56	23.4	61.8%	622 (47.0%)	208 (15.7%)	392 (29.6%)	13 (1.0%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	77 (5.8%)	26	488^th of 641 public high schools	23.9%		23.2	496^th of 640 public high schools	22.5%	8	30.4	47.6	27.9	51.2								$8,173	$760	$7,413
The Community Learning Center @ Pinckney	Public	6-12	160 Pinckney Road	Carthage	28327	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 947-2603	77	7	10.9	83.1%	33 (42.9%)	28 (36.4%)	9 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (9.1%)								(n/a)		8.3					9.1			36.4	9.1	$20,280	$779	$19,501
Chatham Central High	Public	9-12	14950 NC Hwy 902 W	Bear Creek	27207	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 837-2251	320	31	10.3	99.1%	208 (65.0%)	20 (6.3%)	76 (23.8%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	63.6	209^th of 641 public high schools	67.4%		45.9	324^th of 640 public high schools	49.4%	115	51.5	65.7	59.5	73.2								$12,606	$549	$12,058

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Lee High School

What schools feed into Southern Lee High School?

Southern Lee High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Greenwood Elementary
Elementary : J Glenn Edwards Elementary
Elementary : J R Ingram Junior Elementary
Middle : SanLee Middle School
Middle : West Lee Middle

What district is Southern Lee High School in?

Lee County Schools

How many students attend Southern Lee High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,180 students attended Southern Lee High School.

What is the racial makeup of Southern Lee High School?

Students at Southern Lee High School are 44% Hispanic, 31% White, 21% African American, 3% Two or more races.

Is Southern Lee High School a good school?

Southern Lee High School ranks 449^th of 641 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Southern Lee High School!

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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.