High Schools in Lee County Schools

Lee County Schools in North Carolina has four high schools (serving grades 9-12, except Bragg Street Academy which spans grades 6-12) enrolling 2,951 students total, and it shows one of the starkest achievement gaps between a top-ranked early college and the traditional high schools. For parents, the most important story is that Lee Early College is a standout by every academic measure, ranking in the top 10% of the state with a 5-star rating, while its much larger neighbors Lee County High and Southern Lee High School rank in the bottom quarter and earn just 1 star each. The two traditional high schools graduate students at rates near the state average (89% and 90%), but only about 20–40% of their students are proficient on core End-of-Course exams like English II, Biology, and Math I—far below the state averages of 58–65%. Meanwhile, Bragg Street Academy, a very small alternative school with 40 students, is ranked in the bottom 1% of the state, with a 56.6% graduation rate and chronic absenteeism of 73.8%.

Looking at the numbers, every school in this district serves a very high-poverty population—free/reduced lunch eligibility ranges from 90% to 99.75%. Yet Lee Early College posts an extraordinary 93.3% average EOC proficiency (state average is 58.5%), despite having nearly the same poverty rate as the comprehensive high schools. That school also spends the least per student (Lee County High spends $9,332, Southern Lee High $9,595, Bragg Street Academy $20,791), suggesting the early college model, not extra money, drives its success. Math I is a district-wide weakness: only 18.6% of Lee County High students and 27.7% of Southern Lee High students are proficient, compared with 42.1% statewide. Both traditional schools also have chronic absenteeism rates above the state average (27.9% and 25.6% vs. 24.2%), and their state rankings have slipped over the past three years.

The clear takeaway for parents is that school choice matters enormously here. If your child can qualify for Lee Early College, the academic payoff is exceptional, but it is a small, self-selected program. For the typical zoned high school, expect a graduation rate near the state norm but much lower post-secondary readiness, especially in math. Bragg Street Academy should be seen as a high-need intervention setting, not a first-choice academic environment—its chronic absenteeism and low proficiency indicate profound challenges. Overall, Lee County Schools is a district of stark contrasts, and the most productive improvement levers appear to be reducing chronic absenteeism, strengthening Math I instruction, and looking for ways to replicate the early college's successful strategies.