Middle Schools in Lee County Schools

In Lee County Schools, the three traditional middle schools serving grades 6–8 in Sanford, North Carolina—SanLee Middle School, East Lee Middle, and West Lee Middle—enroll roughly 1,840 students, with a district rating of 2 out of 5 stars. All three schools serve extremely high-poverty populations (free/reduced lunch rates from 96.93% to 99.62%), but their academic results are far from equal. SanLee Middle School is the clear leader, ranking in the 58th percentile statewide with 3 stars, and it outperforms the district average in every subject and grade level despite having the highest poverty rate. It is also the only middle school above the state average in overall proficiency, with especially strong 6th grade math (67.4%) and 8th grade science (78.9%).

East Lee Middle and West Lee Middle both remain far below the state average, but they are improving. East Lee made the largest single-year gains—overall proficiency rose about 10 points, including a stunning 21-point jump in 8th grade math and science—yet it still has the lowest absolute scores and the highest chronic absenteeism (27.1%). West Lee has moved from the bottom 12% to the 30th percentile over three years, but its math proficiency drops sharply from 51.6% in 6th grade to just 32.7% in 8th grade, the single lowest EOG score among the three schools. Reading is a district-wide concern: every current reading score at both East and West is below 50%, while SanLee is the only school consistently above that threshold.

Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with performance—SanLee has the best attendance (19.8%) and best results, while East Lee has the worst attendance (27.1%) and lowest scores. Notably, West Lee spends the most per student ($8,316) and has the smallest classes (13.7:1), yet is not the top performer; SanLee spends the least ($7,599) and has a higher student-teacher ratio (15.2:1). Science is a relative strength across the board, but overall the district tells a two-tier story: one strong, stable school in SanLee, and two improving schools that still have a large gap to close.