Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

J Glenn Edwards Elementary

Q: Is J Glenn Edwards Elementary a good school?

J Glenn Edwards Elementary ranks 874 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

874^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 41% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

J Glenn Edwards Elementary is a K-5 public school in Sanford, NC, serving 587 students as part of Lee County Schools, a district rated near the middle of North Carolina districts. In the most recent state ranking year, the school ranked 874th out of 1,492 elementary schools statewide, placing it at the 41st percentile with a 2-star rating. That is essentially flat from the previous year, but down from stronger showings in 2023–2024, when it sat at the 56th percentile.

The school’s academic profile is mixed. Reading is the clearest weakness, with proficiency rates below both the district and state in every tested grade. For example, 3rd grade reading proficiency is 43.4% compared to 55.6% statewide, and 4th grade reading is 46.8% versus 57.7% — gaps of roughly 12 and 11 points, respectively. Math is more of a relative strength, particularly in 5th grade, where 69.7% of students are proficient, outperforming both Lee County (68.6%) and the state (62.9%). Even so, nearby elementary schools serving similar populations often post much stronger results. Tramway Elementary ranks at the 89th percentile and Greenwood Elementary at the 77th, while J Glenn Edwards sits at the 41st — in the same tier as B T Bullock Elementary (45th) but ahead of Broadway Elementary (36th) and W B Wicker Elementary (29th).

Despite serving a very high-needs population — 99.5% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch — attendance is a genuine bright spot: only 15.5% of students were chronically absent, well below the district average of 21.4% and the state average of 24.2%. State subgroup rankings are uneven, with relatively solid outcomes for low-income students but much lower effectiveness for English Language Learners, special education students, and, most strikingly, gifted students, whose ranking fell from the 68th percentile to the 3rd percentile over the past two years. The path back to the top half of North Carolina elementary schools will almost certainly require a sharp focus on early reading, which remains the biggest barrier to stronger overall performance.

587

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3115 Cemetery Rd
Sanford, NC 27332

(919) 774-3733

District: Lee County Schools

Students who attend J Glenn Edwards Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	SanLee Middle School
High:	Lee Early College
	Southern Lee High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

46.3%

White:

30.5%

African American:

16.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare J Glenn Edwards Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 47th percentile in 2016 → 41st in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (56% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg61%

874^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 47% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary 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	42.3	874 of 1492	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	888 of 1490	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.8	664 of 1505	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.3	828 of 1502	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.8	649 of 1514	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.8	848 of 1489	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.2	637 of 1473	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.0	675 of 1434	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.5	503 of 1429	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.6	761 of 1425	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.0	844 of 1440	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.5	769 of 1390	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.8	873 of 1403	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	42.4	899 of 1388	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.1	704 of 1381	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	61.2	595 of 1363	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	58.5	643 of 1354	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	56.7	601 of 1324	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.1	605 of 1293	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2006	47.0	761 of 1276	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	247 of 903	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	61.6	267 of 918	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	56.9	334 of 924	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	362 of 933	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	76.9	122 of 927	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	56.0	282 of 896	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	77.6	128 of 949	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	66.5	239 of 927	74.2%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	35.3	397 of 634	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.9	674 of 878	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.2	654 of 897	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	406 of 519	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.2	434 of 563	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	368 of 533	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.5	190 of 514	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	127 of 485	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	37.8	225 of 385	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.5	112 of 497	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	52.4	151 of 421	64.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.0	720 of 1447	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.9	850 of 1451	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.5	653 of 1455	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	736 of 1459	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.7	464 of 1458	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.8	973 of 1440	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.2	652 of 1424	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.4	699 of 1405	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	724 of 743	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	41.8	580 of 710	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	64.8	216 of 669	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	261 of 582	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.5	473 of 500	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.2	465 of 494	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	65.9	63 of 612	89.7%	★★★★☆
2018	52.3	45 of 69	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.4	554 of 981	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.2	436 of 961	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.2	273 of 951	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	52.4	394 of 915	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	262 of 893	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	49.3	377 of 843	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.3	183 of 865	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.1	206 of 851	75.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	717 of 1434	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.2	625 of 1437	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	430 of 1450	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	61.3	473 of 1437	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	80.3	139 of 1366	89.8%	★★★★☆
2021	58.7	445 of 1329	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	73.3	259 of 1361	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	69.3	321 of 1332	75.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.2	978 of 1451	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.6	882 of 1450	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.5	685 of 1464	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.3	864 of 1461	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.8	768 of 1464	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.4	679 of 1444	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.4	584 of 1430	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.6	621 of 1413	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	49.8	34 of 67	49.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.3	39 of 76	48.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	32.6	579 of 815	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.4	738 of 821	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.7	565 of 801	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.0	813 of 1146	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.3	959 of 1172	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	50.7	596 of 1166	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.5	667 of 1183	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.0	650 of 1194	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.7	697 of 1172	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.9	680 of 1183	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	627 of 1178	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2026)73rd percentile+31 vs school

Female (2026)50th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile+9 vs school

Military Connected (2026)49th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)44th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)37th percentile-20 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)29th percentile-12 vs school

Special Education (2026)29th percentile-12 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)22nd percentile-20 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)3rd percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science67%~ state avg

Mathematics61%-3 vs state

Reading47%-9 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

Rate J Glenn Edwards Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Worst principal and Vice principal ever. They should wear recording devices on their forehead all day - by morning of first day they would both be fired. Except the admin downtown behaves the same way. Children are not treated fairly but depending on the whim of the leader. Do not take your children to this school. It would be such an negative experience. Close Quote

by a parent
Friday, November 16, 2012

This is the worst school environment any of my children have ever been in. We are a military family, have been in many different schools in. Even with 2 high schoolers, we have never had problems. My 3rd grade child had privileges such as going to recess or being able to talk during lunch taken away due to not understanding, on her second day, that she was supposed to bring a workbook page to lunch with her. She was forced to walk in front of the class and write her name on the board and allowed only to walk around in one parking space during lunch for misunderstanding the instructions. This in only one example. She wakes up in the night or cannot sleep because she is afraid that her homework is not perfect and she will have privileges taken. RED FLAG! I have spoken to the teacher numerous times, who is condescending and appears not to care about my concerns. She states that I am the first one who has had a problem in the 14 years she has been there. I have tried to speak with the principal who is always too busy and never returns phone calls. We will be homeschooling until we can relocate to Pinehurst. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH before sending your child here. Close Quote

Schools Near J Glenn Edwards Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Johnsonville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18495 NC HWY 27 West	Cameron	28326	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 499-4912	489	31	15.5	99.2%	171 (35.0%)	116 (23.7%)	152 (31.1%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	3 (0.6%)	38 (7.8%)	69.1	433^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	71.0%		47.3	793^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	46.8%	360	75.3	75.3	73.0	57.0	58.9	59.5	77.0	$9,975	$1,423	$8,552

Frequently Asked Questions about J Glenn Edwards Elementary

What district is J Glenn Edwards Elementary in?

Lee County Schools

What schools do graduates of J Glenn Edwards Elementary attend?

Students who attend J Glenn Edwards Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : SanLee Middle School
High : Lee Early College
High : Southern Lee High School

Is J Glenn Edwards Elementary a good school?

J Glenn Edwards Elementary ranks 874^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of J Glenn Edwards Elementary?

Students at J Glenn Edwards Elementary are 46% Hispanic, 30% White, 17% African American, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend J Glenn Edwards Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 587 students attended J Glenn Edwards Elementary.

Rate J Glenn Edwards Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Elementary School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Sanford, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for J Glenn Edwards Elementary!

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.