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J R Ingram Junior Elementary

Q: Is J R Ingram Junior Elementary a good school?

J R Ingram Junior Elementary ranks 666 th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend J R Ingram Junior Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 419 students attended J R Ingram Junior Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of J R Ingram Junior Elementary?

Students at J R Ingram Junior Elementary are 39% White, 30% Hispanic, 23% African American, 8% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of J R Ingram Junior Elementary attend?

Students who attend J R Ingram Junior Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : West Lee Middle High : Lee Early College High : Southern Lee High School

Public Grades K-5

666^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,492 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 55% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

J R Ingram Junior Elementary is a K-5 school in Sanford, NC, serving 419 students in the Lee County Schools district, where roughly 99% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. In the 2025-2026 state rankings, the school earned a 3-star rating, placing in the 55th percentile (666th out of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools) — a significant jump from the prior year's 2-star, 41st-percentile showing. It now ranks third among the Lee County elementary schools in its local group, behind Tramway Elementary and Greenwood Elementary, and it outperforms nearby Deep River Elementary, J Glenn Edwards Elementary, Broadway Elementary, and WB Wicker Elementary — schools with similarly high-poverty student bodies.

The school's biggest academic strength is early-grade reading: 3rd-grade reading proficiency reached 62.9%, well above the district's 51.7% and the state's 55.6%, with only Tramway Elementary doing better among nearby schools. Fourth-grade reading (62.3%) also sits above district and state averages, and the school posted broad gains across nearly every grade and subject, including large jumps in 4th-grade math and 5th-grade science. Hispanic students rank in the 82nd percentile statewide for similar student populations, and economically disadvantaged students climbed from the 45th to the 63rd percentile in two years. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 37.6% in 2021-2022 to 19.8% in 2024-2025 — better than district and state averages and far better than Broadway Elementary (26.6%) and Cameron Elementary (29.8%).

The main concern is a "later fade" pattern: 5th-grade reading proficiency is just 47.7%, below the 55.3% statewide average, and 5th-grade math (60.2%) and science (62.5%) also fall below district averages. More strikingly, gifted-identified students have ranked at or near the bottom among North Carolina elementary schools for three consecutive years (0th percentile in 2025-2026), while special education students also declined sharply this past year — though small subgroups can produce volatile results. Overall, the school is on an upward trajectory, achieving these results while spending $9,063 per student, on the lower end of its comparison group. If it can carry early-grade success into upper elementary and address gifted-student performance, it could climb even higher in coming years.

419

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3309 Wicker St
Sanford, NC 27330

(919) 774-3772

District: Lee County Schools

Students who attend J R Ingram Junior Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.9%

Hispanic:

30.1%

African American:

22.7%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare J R Ingram Junior Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 56th percentile in 2016 → 55th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (55th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school61%

District avg61%

North Carolina avg61%

666^th of 1,492

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 45%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

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	54.0	666 of 1492	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.1	877 of 1490	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.9	764 of 1505	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.6	725 of 1502	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.0	843 of 1514	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.9	769 of 1489	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.9	819 of 1473	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.8	861 of 1434	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	43.9	854 of 1429	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.7	628 of 1425	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.0	660 of 1440	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	52.0	669 of 1390	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	43.6	769 of 1403	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.6	857 of 1388	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.9	762 of 1381	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.8	740 of 1363	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.6	732 of 1354	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	59.1	563 of 1324	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.1	506 of 1293	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	63.7	465 of 1276	63.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	46.2	483 of 903	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.0	488 of 918	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.2	383 of 924	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.8	334 of 933	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	501 of 927	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.7	478 of 896	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	618 of 949	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	710 of 927	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	50.6	360 of 878	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.4	713 of 897	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2018	63.7	98 of 421	76.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	56.4	605 of 1447	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.3	760 of 1451	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	657 of 1455	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	635 of 1459	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.8	928 of 1458	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	869 of 1440	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.5	666 of 1424	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.7	694 of 1405	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	3.2	740 of 743	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.5	702 of 710	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	637 of 669	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	68.0	102 of 582	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	33.5	446 of 500	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.9	451 of 494	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	74.0	173 of 981	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	71.7	183 of 961	81.0%	★★★★☆
2024	63.6	286 of 951	69.9%	★★★★☆
2023	60.8	293 of 915	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.7	462 of 893	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.4	341 of 843	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	66.7	229 of 865	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	62.3	260 of 851	69.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.5	535 of 1434	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.2	712 of 1437	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.4	797 of 1450	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.2	572 of 1437	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.6	556 of 1366	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.8	375 of 1329	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	52.8	627 of 1361	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	666 of 1332	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	712 of 1451	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	36.9	951 of 1450	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	849 of 1464	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.1	765 of 1461	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.5	699 of 1464	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.7	634 of 1444	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.1	916 of 1430	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.5	1001 of 1413	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.6	451 of 815	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	61.4	202 of 801	74.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	733 of 1146	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.1	914 of 1172	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.9	689 of 1166	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.0	585 of 1183	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.6	643 of 1194	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	763 of 1172	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.6	670 of 1183	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	709 of 1178	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)82nd percentile+27 vs school

English Language Learner (2018)77th percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2019)59th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)58th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile-4 vs school

African American (2026)47th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)36th percentile-19 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)<1st percentile-55 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics65%~ state avg

Science62%-5 vs state

Reading57%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near J R Ingram Junior Elementary

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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Cameron Elementary	Public	K-5	2636 NC Hwy 24 27	Cameron	28326	Harnett County	Moore County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 245-7814	215	14	15.6	98.6%	145 (67.4%)	15 (7.0%)	42 (19.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.2%)	55.9	641^st of 1492 public elementary schools	57.0%		52.9	690^th of 1490 public elementary schools	53.7%	49	59.5	57.9	79.3	54.8	55.3	62.1	72.4	$11,016	$911	$10,105

Frequently Asked Questions about J R Ingram Junior Elementary

What is the racial makeup of J R Ingram Junior Elementary?

Students at J R Ingram Junior Elementary are 39% White, 30% Hispanic, 23% African American, 8% Two or more races.

Is J R Ingram Junior Elementary a good school?

J R Ingram Junior Elementary ranks 666^th of 1492 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of J R Ingram Junior Elementary attend?

Students who attend J R Ingram Junior Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

What district is J R Ingram Junior Elementary in?

Lee County Schools

How many students attend J R Ingram Junior Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 419 students attended J R Ingram Junior Elementary.

Rate J R Ingram Junior Elementary!

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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.