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Lee Early College

Public Grades 9-12

63^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 662 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 90% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Lee Early College is a small public high school in Sanford, North Carolina, serving 272 students in grades 9-12 within the Lee County Schools district. Despite its district's modest statewide ranking, Lee Early College is one of the strongest high schools in North Carolina — currently #63 of 662 high schools, good for the 90th percentile and a 5-star rating. The school has consistently placed in the top 10-12% of the state since 2020-2021 and climbed as high as #29 in 2022-2023.

Lee Early College dramatically outperforms every other high school in the surrounding area. Its closest physical neighbor, Lee County High, ranks #557 in the state — nearly 500 places behind — while Southern Lee High School (#524), Overhills High (#450), and Western Harnett High (#528) also trail far behind. Even the region's stronger options — Union Pines High (#261), Chatham Central High (#227), Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County (#205), and Central Carolina Academy (#166) — remain well below Lee Early College. End-of-course testing underscores the gap: Lee Early College posted 98.2% proficiency in English II, 90.9% in Math I, 98.4% in Math III, and 85.7% in Biology, versus statewide averages of 64.6%, 42.1%, 68.9%, and 58.5%. Math I shows the most dramatic gap — 90.9% at Lee Early College versus just 25.7% for Lee County Schools as a whole and 18.6% at Lee County High. Math III has been at or near 100% for three straight years, a feat no nearby school comes close to matching.

These achievements are especially notable because of the students Lee Early College serves: nearly 99% were reported as economically disadvantaged in the most recent year, a rate almost identical to the lower-performing traditional high schools nearby. The school earns 5-star ratings across multiple student subgroups, including economically disadvantaged students, who rank #57 of 620 statewide. It also reports lower per-pupil spending than neighboring traditional schools. For parents weighing high school options in the Sanford area, Lee Early College is a clear standout — a high-need school producing results on par with North Carolina's best, and a strong choice to consider.

272

Students ?

39.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1105 Kelly Drive
Sanford, NC 27330

(919) 888-4502

District: Lee County Schools

Feeder schools for Lee Early College:

Elementary:	Broadway Elementary
	BT Bullock Elementary
	Deep River Elementary
	Greenwood Elementary
	More...
	J Glenn Edwards Elementary
	J R Ingram Junior Elementary
	Tramway Elementary
Middle:	East Lee Middle
	SanLee Middle School
	West Lee Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

53.3%

White:

30.5%

African American:

8.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Lee Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2021 → 90th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the North Carolina average (94% vs 60% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of North Carolina high schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2021

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

!Large classes — about 40 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school94%

District avg44%

North Carolina avg60%

63^rd of 662

North Carolina public high schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 4 pts since 2021

From top 5% (2021) to top 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High 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	91.4	63 of 662	90.5%	★★★★★
2025	91.3	65 of 641	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.1	35 of 640	94.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.9	29 of 626	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	44 of 621	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	95.0	32 of 594	94.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	88.4	81 of 629	87.1%	★★★★☆
2025	89.2	71 of 610	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	91.6	53 of 602	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.5	41 of 588	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.2	57 of 594	90.4%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	73.3	105 of 407	74.2%	★★★★☆
2025	73.2	112 of 412	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.2	87 of 403	78.4%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	14 of 403	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	68.5	124 of 398	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.0	47 of 474	90.1%	★★★★★
2025	91.2	54 of 462	88.3%	★★★★☆
2024	97.2	24 of 454	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	18 of 449	96.0%	★★★★★
2022	96.9	22 of 436	95.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	94.0	57 of 620	90.8%	★★★★★
2025	94.8	55 of 606	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	40 of 613	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	26 of 597	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	98.6	22 of 544	96.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	92.9	46 of 624	92.6%	★★★★★
2025	91.9	70 of 601	88.4%	★★★★☆
2024	95.9	26 of 607	95.7%	★★★★★
2023	96.3	18 of 602	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	95.1	40 of 585	93.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	91.4	25 of 551	95.5%	★★★★★
2025	91.8	30 of 542	94.5%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	41 of 553	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.3	44 of 537	91.8%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	41 of 534	92.3%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)95th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)90th percentile~ school

Female (2026)87th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)74th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Math III98%+29 vs state

English II98%+34 vs state

Math I91%+49 vs state

Biology86%+27 vs state

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Schools Near Lee Early College

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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/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	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
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	98.9%	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
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	98.9%	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
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
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
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	99.7%	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
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
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
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
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	99.1%	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
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 Lee Early College

Is Lee Early College a good school?

Yes. Lee Early College ranks in the top 9.5% of North Carolina high schools.

What district is Lee Early College in?

Lee County Schools

What is the racial makeup of Lee Early College?

Students at Lee Early College are 53% Hispanic, 31% White, 8% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools feed into Lee Early College?

Lee Early College is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Broadway Elementary
Elementary : BT Bullock Elementary
Elementary : Deep River Elementary
Elementary : Greenwood Elementary
Elementary : J Glenn Edwards Elementary
Elementary : J R Ingram Junior Elementary
Elementary : Tramway Elementary
Middle : East Lee Middle
Middle : SanLee Middle School
Middle : West Lee Middle

How many students attend Lee Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 272 students attended Lee Early College.

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Schools in Sanford, NC

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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.