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Central Carolina Academy

Q: Is Central Carolina Academy a good school?

Central Carolina Academy ranks 166 th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

166^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 75% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Central Carolina Academy is a grade 6–12 public charter school in Sanford, NC, that enrolls 536 students and serves families throughout the Lee County area. Since the school operates as its own district, the district also carries a 5-star state rating, ranking 24th out of 246 districts in North Carolina. The school itself ranks 166th out of 662 schools statewide, placing it in the top quarter and above nearly every nearby conventional high school.

Academically, the school stands out most in math and science. On recent state tests, 85.4% of 8th graders were proficient in math, compared with 53.0% statewide, and 92.3% of students scored proficient on the Math III end-of-course exam. Unusually, math proficiency rises from 6th grade (67.9%) to 8th grade (85.4%), even while math scores statewide tend to decline across those grades. Science results are similarly strong: 86.5% proficiency in 8th grade science and 70.4% in Biology, both far above neighboring Lee County High and Southern Lee High School. English II scores (75.3%) also beat the state average (64.6%), though literacy is the school's relative weak spot. Only Lee Early College, a selective early-college program, ranks higher among nearby options.

Families considering this charter should know it serves a more economically advantaged population than district-run high schools — about 27% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus roughly 99% at Lee County High and Southern Lee High School. Even so, its low-income and military-connected students perform in the top 20% of similar student groups statewide. The school also provides smaller classes, with a 15.4-to-1 student-teacher ratio, and faces a persistent challenge with chronic absenteeism (nearly 28%, above the state rate of 24%). Overall, Central Carolina Academy is the strongest conventional academic option in the Sanford area, especially for families seeking a STEM-oriented school with a more personalized environment.

536

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

26.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1801 Douglas Drive
Sanford, NC 27330

(984) 977-9455

District: Central Carolina Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.3%

Hispanic:

15.3%

Two or more races:

9.3%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Central Carolina Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (75% vs 58% meeting standards)

✓Above the North Carolina median (75th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school75%

North Carolina avg58%

Middle school

107^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 10 pts since 2024

From top 24% (2024) to top 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

166^th of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 25%

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 246Central Carolina 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.7	107 of 778	86.2%	★★★★☆
2025	84.9	95 of 773	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.6	190 of 793	76.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	82.3	103 of 731	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	79.9	126 of 733	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	72.3	176 of 738	76.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	83.1	62 of 566	89.0%	★★★★☆
2025	81.2	58 of 562	89.7%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	73 of 564	87.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	96 of 725	86.8%	★★★★☆
2025	88.7	45 of 729	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	66.1	193 of 743	74.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	122 of 736	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	87.8	66 of 733	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	67.7	207 of 751	72.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	54.9	30 of 67	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	84.3	6 of 64	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	77.4	11 of 58	81.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.2	82 of 333	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	90.0	17 of 328	94.8%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.9	8 of 500	98.4%	★★★★★
2025	82.7	26 of 478	94.6%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	69.8	181 of 644	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.6	155 of 649	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	59.9	246 of 652	62.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Special Education (2026)98th percentile+12 vs school

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile~ school

Female (2026)86th percentile~ school

Male (2026)83rd percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)75th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)72nd percentile-14 vs school

Military Connected (2026)55th percentile-31 vs school

High school

Military Connected (2026)84th percentile+9 vs school

Hispanic (2026)84th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)81st percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)76th percentile~ school

Female (2026)72nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)60th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III92%+23 vs state

Science86%+18 vs state

Mathematics76%+20 vs state

English II75%+11 vs state

Biology70%+12 vs state

Reading68%+13 vs state

Math I64%+21 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Carolina 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)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	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
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%)	73.9	166^th of 662 public high schools	74.9%					(n/a)	70.4	75.3	63.5	92.3	67.9	77.2	85.4	68.8	71.9	63.5	86.5
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%)	1.1	657^th of 662 public high schools	0.8%		2.8	632^nd of 641 public high schools	1.4%	25	339.1	8.3	537.9	23.1			10.0			20.0	40.0	$20,791	$253	$20,538
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	—	416 (28.5%)	336 (23.0%)	640 (43.9%)	12 (0.8%)	5 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (3.4%)	19.4	557^th of 662 public high schools	15.9%		24.1	501^st of 641 public high schools	21.8%	56	36.0	41.5	18.6	61.1								$9,332	$595	$8,737
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	—	83 (30.5%)	22 (8.1%)	145 (53.3%)	7 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.1%)	91.4	63^rd of 662 public high schools	90.5%		91.3	65^th of 641 public high schools	89.9%	2	85.7	98.2	90.9	98.4								$5,908	$41	$5,867
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	—	360 (30.5%)	251 (21.3%)	517 (43.8%)	9 (0.8%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.3%)	24.4	524^th of 662 public high schools	20.8%		30.1	449^th of 641 public high schools	30.0%	75	48.9	39.8	27.7	58.4								$9,595	$738	$8,857
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%)	66.9	205^th of 662 public high schools	69.0%		65.4	201^st of 641 public high schools	68.6%	4	75.2	78.0	39.2	84.9	72.0	71.4	63.0	65.6	67.0	67.4	81.5
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	—	208 (65.0%)	20 (6.3%)	76 (23.8%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	64	227^th of 662 public high schools	65.7%		63.6	209^th of 641 public high schools	67.4%	18	63.5	69.9	71.4	73.4								$12,606	$549	$12,058
Union Pines High	Public	9-12	1981 Union Church Rd	Cameron	28326	Harnett 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%)	59	261^st of 662 public high schools	60.6%		66.8	190^th of 641 public high schools	70.4%	71	67.5	73.7	54.5	66.2								$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%)	24	528^th of 662 public high schools	20.2%		26	488^th of 641 public high schools	23.9%	40	40.1	48.9	32.1	54.2								$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)	340.9	13.3	537.4	539.3			9.1			9.1	9.1	$20,280	$779	$19,501

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Carolina Academy

Is Central Carolina Academy a good school?

Central Carolina Academy ranks 166^th of 662 North Carolina high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central Carolina Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 536 students attended Central Carolina Academy.

What district is Central Carolina Academy in?

Central Carolina Academy

What is the racial makeup of Central Carolina Academy?

Students at Central Carolina Academy are 70% White, 15% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 5% African American.

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2020–21 through 2025–26 immunization ratesNewOct 19, 2026

2022–23 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

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

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

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.