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Rising Leaders Academy

Public, Charter Grades K-8

1375^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Rising Leaders Academy is a small K-8 school in Sanford, North Carolina, serving 282 students as a standalone district, but it currently ranks at the very bottom of nearby schools: the school placed 1,375th out of 1,492 North Carolina schools in 2025-2026, landing at the 8th percentile with a zero-star rating, and its district rating sits at the 3rd percentile statewide. This places it well below neighboring districts like Lee County Schools (39th percentile) and Moore County Schools (74th percentile). Nearly all students (98.2%) come from low-income households, but poverty alone does not explain the gap: Tramway Elementary, with a nearly identical poverty rate, ranked 163rd in the state, and Greenwood Elementary (99.5% poverty) ranked 341st.

Academic proficiency is far below state averages and below every comparable local elementary school. In 2025-2026, 4th grade reading proficiency was just 28.9% vs. 57.7% statewide, and no nearby school scored below 34.1%. Only 39.4% of 5th graders were proficient in science, compared to 67.7% statewide and over 62% at every nearby peer. Science has been an especially persistent problem, with 8th grade science at just 26.3% in 2023-2024 versus a 70.1% state average. Rankings tell the same story: Broadway Elementary ranked 962nd, WB Wicker Elementary 1,066th, and Deep River Elementary 695th, but Rising Leaders Academy remains at 1,375th.

There are a few encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism has fallen sharply from 41.3% in 2022-2023 to 28.8% in 2024-2025, and the school's 9.9-to-1 student-teacher ratio is far lower than neighbors like J Glenn Edwards Elementary (16.4). Third grade has historically been a relative bright spot, with math proficiency near or above the state average in 2023-2024, but performance drops sharply in 4th and 5th grade. Because the school enrolls only about 30 students per grade, test scores can swing dramatically from year to year. Still, the consistent pattern across grades, subjects, and years shows a school facing real and systemic challenges.

282

Students ?

9.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2732 Industrial Drive
Sanford, NC 27332

(919) 745-1442

District: Rising Leaders Academy

Racial breakdown:

African American:

37.9%

Hispanic:

29.8%

White:

19.5%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Rising Leaders Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2021 → 8th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (40% vs 61% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2021

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

North Carolina avg61%

1,375^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 14 pts since 2021

From bottom 21% (2021) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

238^th of 246Rising Leaders Academy 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.1	1375 of 1492	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.0	1315 of 1490	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	1144 of 1505	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	1301 of 1502	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.0	1347 of 1514	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	1169 of 1489	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	31.3	679 of 903	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	717 of 918	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	608 of 924	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.5	742 of 933	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.5	767 of 927	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.8	622 of 896	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	1191 of 1447	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	1270 of 1451	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.1	1127 of 1455	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	1309 of 1459	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	1291 of 1458	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	1202 of 1440	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	14.7	934 of 981	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.8	839 of 961	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.8	392 of 951	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	31.2	673 of 915	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.9	730 of 893	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.3	433 of 843	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.1	1334 of 1434	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.3	1353 of 1437	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	1186 of 1450	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.5	1244 of 1437	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1036 of 1366	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	1059 of 1329	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	15.1	1336 of 1451	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.8	1275 of 1450	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	1106 of 1464	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	1194 of 1461	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.1	1289 of 1464	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.5	912 of 1444	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	48.0	403 of 773	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.5	623 of 793	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.6	551 of 784	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	35.8	362 of 560	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.4	164 of 559	70.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	25.1	575 of 731	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2023	20.3	482 of 553	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	27.0	593 of 743	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.3	372 of 735	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	28.7	559 of 751	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.8	487 of 747	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2026)25th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2026)18th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)8th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)7th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)5th percentile-3 vs school

Middle school

African American (2024)35th percentile+14 vs school

Male (2024)26th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2023)21st percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)20th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)13th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics42%-22 vs state

Science39%-28 vs state

Reading38%-18 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 2, 2024

My child came into my care after graduating from kindergarten. Over the summer and going into 1st grade I had noticed she didn’t have foundational skills down for reading as to so much even know the sounds of the letters of the alphabet yet was given grades of high 90s-100s in reading and phonics. This could be both from the previous parent and my guess a school trying to build themselves by giving untrue grades. Long story short it has taken a lot of work between me and teacher at her new school to get her back up to grade level. Although the staff seemed extremely nice, I would not recommend this school if you’re worried about your child’s academic growth. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, August 25, 2022

MINA Charter School is a wonderful option to public schools in Lee and surrounding counties. Just like every school during the pandemic, navigating the new normal has been challenging. But the entire MINA staff considers policy AND what is best for the students and parents who are apart of their school. I admire their efforts to hire reputable staff and more so, staff that represent the community. MINA feels like a family, not just a school. We enjoy our child attending here and can't wait till our younger children can begin their educational journey here as well. Close Quote

Schools Near Rising Leaders Academy

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rising Leaders Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	2732 Industrial Drive	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Rising Leaders Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 745-1442	282	28	9.9	98.2%	55 (19.5%)	107 (37.9%)	84 (29.8%)	4 (1.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.0%)	14.1	1375^th of 1492 public elementary schools	7.8%		18	1315^th of 1490 public elementary schools	11.7%	60	45.9	36.8	42.4	45.9	28.9	39.4	39.4
J Glenn Edwards Elementary	Public	K-5	3115 Cemetery Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 774-3733	587	36	16.4	99.5%	179 (30.5%)	98 (16.7%)	272 (46.3%)	7 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	28 (4.8%)	42.3	874^th of 1492 public elementary schools	41.4%		41.6	888^th of 1490 public elementary schools	40.4%	14	61.6	53.2	69.7	43.4	46.8	52.8	67.4	$9,176	$1,462	$7,714
WB Wicker Elementary	Public	K-5	900 S Vance St	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 897-5400	588	42	14.1	99.1%	48 (8.2%)	211 (35.9%)	299 (50.9%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	31.5	1066^th of 1492 public elementary schools	28.6%		27.1	1133^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	24.0%	67	48.5	49.5	69.2	36.6	34.1	44.0	69.2
J R Ingram Junior Elementary	Public	K-5	3309 Wicker St	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 774-3772	419	30	13.9	99.3%	163 (38.9%)	95 (22.7%)	126 (30.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.6%)	54	666^th of 1492 public elementary schools	55.4%		42.1	877^th of 1490 public elementary schools	41.1%	211	71.0	65.2	60.2	62.9	62.3	47.7	62.5	$9,063	$1,217	$7,846
BT Bullock Elementary	Public	K-5	1410 McNeill Road	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 718-0160	511	34	15.1	99.4%	173 (33.9%)	100 (19.6%)	213 (41.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.7%)	45.4	817^th of 1492 public elementary schools	45.2%		39.5	926^th of 1490 public elementary schools	37.9%	109	67.5	50.5	58.0	55.8	42.6	56.8	71.6	$10,085	$1,594	$8,491
Tramway Elementary	Public	K-5	360 Center Church Road	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 718-0170	559	40	13.9	98.7%	304 (54.4%)	70 (12.5%)	160 (28.6%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.9%)	86.1	163^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	89.1%		82.5	207^th of 1490 public elementary schools	86.1%	44	92.5	72.4	85.1	78.8	64.4	75.9	82.8	$9,060	$791	$8,269
Greenwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1127 Greenwood Rd	Sanford	28355	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 776-0506	571	39	14.8	99.5%	246 (43.1%)	61 (10.7%)	220 (38.5%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (6.8%)	74	341^st of 1492 public elementary schools	77.1%		65.6	470^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.5%	129	83.5	77.1	72.1	55.3	63.3	61.3	80.2	$9,213	$1,139	$8,074
Broadway Elementary	Public	K-5	307 S Main St	Broadway	27505	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 258-3828	490	31	15.5	96.9%	150 (30.6%)	80 (16.3%)	237 (48.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.1%)	36.9	962^nd of 1492 public elementary schools	35.5%		18.4	1310^th of 1490 public elementary schools	12.1%	348	47.6	55.4	65.7	39.0	49.4	47.8	70.1	$9,542	$1,101	$8,441
Benhaven Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	520 Olive Farm Dr	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 499-4811	1,065	65	16.4	44.3%	494 (46.4%)	222 (20.8%)	211 (19.8%)	20 (1.9%)	3 (0.3%)	6 (0.6%)	109 (10.2%)	57.8	614^th of 1492 public elementary schools	58.8%		66.8	449^th of 1490 public elementary schools	69.9%	165	72.3	67.6	68.5	55.5	58.0	53.3	63.0	$8,663	$866	$7,797
Deep River Elementary	Public	K-5	4000 Deep River Rd	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 776-2722	557	34	16.3	96.8%	159 (28.5%)	86 (15.4%)	267 (47.9%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.8%)	51.8	695^th of 1492 public elementary schools	53.4%		56.7	617^th of 1490 public elementary schools	58.6%	78	73.1	70.4	67.0	50.5	53.1	46.0	62.0	$9,663	$1,381	$8,282

Frequently Asked Questions about Rising Leaders Academy

What district is Rising Leaders Academy in?

Rising Leaders Academy

How many students attend Rising Leaders Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 282 students attended Rising Leaders Academy.

Is Rising Leaders Academy a good school?

Rising Leaders Academy ranks in the bottom 7.8% of North Carolina elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Rising Leaders Academy?

Students at Rising Leaders Academy are 38% African American, 30% Hispanic, 20% White, 11% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.