Southern Lee High School

Southern Lee High School is a traditional public high school serving about 1,180 students in grades 9–12 in Sanford, NC, as part of Lee County Schools. For the 2025–2026 school year, the school ranks 524th out of 662 North Carolina high schools (21st percentile) with a one-star rating — a noticeable drop from prior years when it ranked in the 30th percentile or higher. On a more positive note, its graduation rate stands at 90.1%, slightly above the state average and a clear relative strength for the school.

Academically, Southern Lee struggles most with literacy and math. Only 39.8% of students scored proficient on English II and 27.7% on Math I, compared with state averages of 64.6% and 42.1%. Biology is a relative bright spot at 48.9% proficiency, close to the state average. Within the district, Southern Lee is the stronger of the two traditional high schools, outperforming Lee County High in most subjects. However, it is far outpaced by Lee Early College, where proficiency exceeds 85% in nearly every subject. Nearby schools in neighboring districts, including Union Pines High, Chatham Central High, and charters like Central Carolina Academy and Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County, also post substantially higher proficiency rates.

Southern Lee serves a very high-needs student population, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Chronic absenteeism affects about one in four students, and the student-teacher ratio jumped to 20.9 from 15.4 the prior year, which points to larger class sizes and potentially fewer individual supports. Subgroup proficiency ranks in the bottom quarter of the state for nearly every student group, including English learners, students with disabilities, and even gifted students. The school does graduate most of its students, but with reading and math proficiency this low, families considering Southern Lee should think carefully about the level of academic support and enrichment their child may need.