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East Lee Middle

Q: Is East Lee Middle a good school?

East Lee Middle ranks 565 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend East Lee Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended East Lee Middle.

Q: What is the racial makeup of East Lee Middle?

Students at East Lee Middle are 44% Hispanic, 28% White, 21% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of East Lee Middle attend?

Students who attend East Lee Middle usually go on to attend Lee County High

Public Grades 6-8

565^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 27% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

East Lee Middle in Sanford, NC, is a public middle school serving about 526 students in grades 6–8 within the Lee County Schools district. The district ranks 151st of 246 North Carolina districts with a 2-star rating, while the school's own state ranking sits at 565th of 778 North Carolina middle schools — the 27th percentile — with a 1-star rating. Nearly all students (97.5% in 2024–25) are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is about 15.4 to 1. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern: 27.1% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25, above the district rate of 21.4% and the state rate of 24.2%.

Academically, the school trails district and state proficiency averages in nearly every tested subject. The most urgent concern is 6th grade, where only about 4 in 10 students are proficient in math and reading, roughly 15 to 20 points below state averages. The clearest bright spot is 8th grade: math proficiency jumped from 25.1% to 46.1% between 2024–25 and 2025–26, science climbed from 36.6% to 58.4%, and reading improved by about 11 points. That helped raise the school from the 17th to the 27th percentile statewide and shows improvement is possible, though 6th-grade scores have stayed essentially flat and overall results remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Comparisons with nearby schools are instructive. SanLee Middle School, less than 5 miles away in the same district, serves a very similar population (99.6% free-lunch eligible) but outperforms this school in every subject — in 6th-grade math, 67.4% proficiency versus 39.8%. West Lee Middle is more comparable; in fact, this school posts higher 8th-grade math scores (46.1% versus 32.7%). Neighboring George M. Horton Middle and Crain's Creek Middle also serve high-poverty populations yet post far stronger results, showing that poverty does not set a ceiling. A genuine strength is the outcome for African American students, who rank at the 51st percentile statewide. Pressing weaknesses remain: services for gifted students rank at the 2nd percentile, special education at the 14th, and chronic absenteeism continues to need attention.

526

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

97.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1337 Broadway Rd
Sanford, NC 27330

(919) 776-8441

District: Lee County Schools

Students who attend East Lee Middle usually attend:

High:	Lee County High
	Lee Early College

Feeder schools for East Lee Middle:

Elementary:	Broadway Elementary
	Deep River Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.3%

White:

28.1%

African American:

21.1%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare East Lee Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 41st percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (46% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

565^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

151^st of 246Lee 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
2026	29.3	565 of 778	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	645 of 773	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	577 of 793	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	538 of 784	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.9	647 of 786	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.7	559 of 741	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.2	501 of 737	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.5	411 of 691	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.6	424 of 694	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.4	410 of 692	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.0	453 of 705	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	27.7	458 of 627	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	47.7	344 of 673	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	40.2	464 of 662	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.4	391 of 648	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.9	384 of 640	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	53.9	353 of 630	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.9	391 of 620	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.0	378 of 606	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.0	353 of 598	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	273 of 553	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.9	428 of 546	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.7	320 of 560	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.9	349 of 559	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.6	514 of 550	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	26.0	422 of 533	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	322 of 519	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.1	221 of 494	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	12.4	448 of 449	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	468 of 478	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	41.9	277 of 504	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.6	386 of 475	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	242 of 363	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.7	323 of 371	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	310 of 356	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.8	220 of 318	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.7	290 of 312	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	180 of 211	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	148 of 151	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	27.0	555 of 731	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	614 of 733	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	577 of 738	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.2	540 of 731	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.2	632 of 733	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.3	573 of 706	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	532 of 684	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.4	413 of 656	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	9.8	456 of 465	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	21.6	430 of 458	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	423 of 461	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	398 of 452	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	434 of 450	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	397 of 448	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.1	362 of 416	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	56.1	62 of 127	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	437 of 566	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	477 of 562	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	431 of 564	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	412 of 553	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.7	443 of 541	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.6	395 of 522	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	386 of 493	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.0	343 of 472	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.1	484 of 725	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.3	597 of 729	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.5	477 of 743	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.1	435 of 735	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.4	588 of 689	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.4	457 of 633	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.4	425 of 639	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	305 of 604	49.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	538 of 736	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.2	628 of 733	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.0	548 of 751	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	516 of 747	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.0	610 of 748	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	503 of 711	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	449 of 697	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.5	407 of 665	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	37.6	218 of 328	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.9	113 of 302	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.6	203 of 237	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.6	163 of 221	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.1	432 of 500	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	459 of 478	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	429 of 473	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	444 of 644	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	18.2	567 of 649	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.5	474 of 652	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.2	449 of 656	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	21.4	564 of 658	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.2	488 of 632	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.0	396 of 624	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.0	319 of 596	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)51st percentile+23 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)34th percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)33rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile+6 vs school

White (2026)31st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile~ school

Female (2026)24th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile-14 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)2nd percentile-25 vs school

Disabled (2022)<1st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science58%-10 vs state

Mathematics44%-12 vs state

Reading44%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near East Lee Middle

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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 Math I (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 Math I End of Course	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
East Lee Middle	Public	6-8	1337 Broadway Rd	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 776-8441	526	34	15.4	97.5%	148 (28.1%)	111 (21.1%)	233 (44.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	32 (6.1%)	29.3	565^th of 778 public middle schools	27.4%		19.1	645^th of 773 public middle schools	16.6%	80			39.8	47.0	46.1		39.5	45.0	47.4		58.4	$8,028	$700	$7,329
Ascend Leadership Remote Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-10	283 Harvey Faulk Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(919) 842-5411	27			—	14 (51.9%)	4 (14.8%)	4 (14.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (18.5%)	61.2	284^th of 778 public middle schools	63.5%					(n/a)	15.4		69.0	50.0	31.0		75.9	91.7	64.3		65.5
SanLee Middle School	Public	6-8	2309 Tramway Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 708-7227	792	52	15.2	—	234 (29.5%)	154 (19.4%)	361 (45.6%)	9 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.2%)	57.8	323^rd of 778 public middle schools	58.5%		55.3	324^th of 773 public middle schools	58.1%	1			67.4	55.6	55.9		56.4	52.2	53.6		78.9	$7,599	$701	$6,898
West Lee Middle	Public	6-8	3301 Wicker St	Sanford	27330	Lee County	Lee County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 775-7351	522	38	13.7	96.9%	102 (19.5%)	97 (18.6%)	287 (55.0%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (5.7%)	31.2	544^th of 778 public middle schools	30.1%		29.2	553^rd of 773 public middle schools	28.5%	9			51.6	43.2	32.7		44.4	41.9	47.6		65.1	$8,316	$876	$7,440
Western Harnett Middle	Public	6-8	11135 NC Hwy 27 West	Lillington	27546	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 499-4497	700	46	15.3	55.6%	330 (47.1%)	128 (18.3%)	176 (25.1%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.4%)	59.2	310^th of 778 public middle schools	60.2%		38.6	477^th of 773 public middle schools	38.3%	167			71.0	60.3	53.6		57.3	55.4	57.5		68.7	$8,179	$745	$7,434
Highland Middle	Public	6-8	345 Highland School Rd	Sanford	27332	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 498-3331	762	50	15.3	63.9%	318 (41.7%)	135 (17.7%)	222 (29.1%)	9 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	5 (0.7%)	69 (9.1%)	37.9	497^th of 778 public middle schools	36.1%		36.9	495^th of 773 public middle schools	36.0%	2			57.5	46.5	40.8		47.2	46.1	43.8		69.6	$7,358	$539	$6,819
Crain's Creek Middle	Public	6-8	4631 Union Church Rd	Carthage	28327	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 245-3796	481	31	15.6	—	256 (53.2%)	106 (22.0%)	69 (14.3%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (9.6%)	60.5	293^rd of 778 public middle schools	62.3%		47.3	414^th of 773 public middle schools	46.4%	121			54.2	54.4	50.0		58.1	61.1	69.9		79.5	$9,638	$999	$8,640
New Century Middle	Public	6-8	1577 Union Church Road	Cameron	28326	Moore County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 947-1301	602	39	15.3	32.4%	461 (76.6%)	36 (6.0%)	64 (10.6%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	33 (5.5%)	85.6	87^th of 778 public middle schools	88.8%		85.4	89^th of 773 public middle schools	88.5%	2			77.8	68.2	69.5		76.9	67.7	76.9		92.3	$8,510	$600	$7,910
Overhills Middle	Public	6-8	2711 Ray Road	Spring Lake	28390	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 436-0009	758	48	15.7	63.1%	210 (27.7%)	287 (37.9%)	163 (21.5%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	9 (1.2%)	79 (10.4%)	26.6	597^th of 778 public middle schools	23.3%		32.6	524^th of 773 public middle schools	32.2%	73			42.4	44.5	29.6		46.3	49.5	40.6		57.7	$7,678	$612	$7,065
George M. Horton Middle	Public	5-8	79 Horton Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 542-2303	414	27	15.4	—	217 (52.4%)	78 (18.8%)	70 (16.9%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.1%)	80.7	122^nd of 778 public middle schools	84.3%		80.5	134^th of 773 public middle schools	82.7%	12		75.0	76.7	74.0	57.1	72.2	76.7	73.8	70.7	74.1	78.3	$9,575	$632	$8,943

Frequently Asked Questions about East Lee Middle

What high school do graduates of East Lee Middle attend?

Students who attend East Lee Middle usually go on to attend Lee County High

Is East Lee Middle a good school?

East Lee Middle ranks 565^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is East Lee Middle in?

Lee County Schools

How many students attend East Lee Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 526 students attended East Lee Middle.

What is the racial makeup of East Lee Middle?

Students at East Lee Middle are 44% Hispanic, 28% White, 21% African American, 6% Two or more races.

Rate East Lee Middle!

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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.