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SanLee Middle School

Q: Is SanLee Middle School a good school?

SanLee Middle School ranks 323 rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

323^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 58% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

SanLee Middle School, located in Sanford, NC, serves 792 students in grades 6-8 and stands out as the clear academic leader among traditional middle schools in Lee County Schools. Ranking 323rd out of 778 North Carolina middle schools (58th percentile), SanLee significantly outranks its same-district neighbors East Lee Middle (565th) and West Lee Middle (544th). This academic success is particularly notable given that over 99% of the student body is economically disadvantaged, yet the school consistently outperforms both its home district and, in many subjects, the state average.

For parents, the test score data is highly encouraging, especially in math and science. In 6th grade math, SanLee's proficiency rate is 67.4%, which is 27.6 points higher than East Lee Middle. Over the past three years, 8th grade math proficiency has climbed from 35.9% to an impressive 55.9%, surpassing the state average. Science is another standout area, with 78.9% of 8th graders scoring proficient compared to the state's 68.6%. The school also excels at keeping students in class; its chronic absenteeism rate of 19.8% is well below the state average (24.2%) and drastically lower than nearby schools like Overhills Middle (30.8%) and Highland Middle (32.1%).

While SanLee is a high-performing school overall, there are a few areas where it lags behind its own high standards. The 7th grade year appears to be the toughest, with reading proficiency (52.2%) trailing the state average. Additionally, while outcomes for Hispanic, multiracial, and low-income students are a clear strength, the school's support for special education students and gifted/talented students has room to grow, as does its performance with male students compared to female students. Still, for a school with such a high-need population, SanLee's steady academic momentum, strong attendance, and impressive math and science results make it a compelling choice for families in the Sanford area.

792

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2309 Tramway Rd
Sanford, NC 27332

(919) 708-7227

District: Lee County Schools

Students who attend SanLee Middle School usually attend:

High:	Lee Early College
	Southern Lee High School

Feeder schools for SanLee Middle School:

Elementary:	Greenwood Elementary
	J Glenn Edwards Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.6%

White:

29.5%

African American:

19.4%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare SanLee Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 56th percentile in 2016 → 58th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the North Carolina median (58th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school60%

District avg52%

North Carolina avg58%

323^rd of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Top 42%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

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	57.8	323 of 778	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.3	324 of 773	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.7	364 of 793	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.0	393 of 784	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.0	381 of 786	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.0	427 of 741	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.0	409 of 737	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.4	349 of 691	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	54.5	330 of 694	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.8	306 of 692	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	49.9	371 of 705	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	44.9	336 of 627	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.1	262 of 673	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.4	234 of 662	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.0	295 of 648	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.0	349 of 640	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	52.7	362 of 630	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	60.4	178 of 553	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.9	206 of 546	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	216 of 560	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.2	238 of 559	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.2	211 of 550	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.4	266 of 533	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.5	217 of 519	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.5	171 of 494	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2021	22.6	437 of 478	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	407 of 504	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	420 of 475	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.3	147 of 363	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.6	131 of 371	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.0	125 of 356	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.4	199 of 318	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.9	141 of 312	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.6	223 of 236	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	136 of 211	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.7	252 of 731	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.5	287 of 733	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.3	327 of 738	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.6	380 of 731	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.1	392 of 733	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.7	432 of 706	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.6	396 of 684	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	360 of 656	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	293 of 465	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	55.4	259 of 458	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	393 of 461	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.7	291 of 452	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	360 of 450	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.5	368 of 448	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.0	337 of 416	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	70.0	21 of 127	83.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.7	165 of 566	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	63.6	155 of 562	72.4%	★★★★☆
2024	59.7	185 of 564	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.7	216 of 553	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	191 of 541	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.6	271 of 522	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.5	156 of 493	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	66.7	109 of 472	76.9%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	80.0	9 of 71	87.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	61.4	227 of 725	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	64.5	190 of 729	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	62.9	226 of 743	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.3	262 of 735	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.1	203 of 689	70.5%	★★★★☆
2021	57.6	215 of 633	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.1	248 of 639	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.3	175 of 604	71.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	349 of 736	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	354 of 733	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	372 of 751	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.0	392 of 747	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.5	341 of 748	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.4	384 of 711	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.0	413 of 697	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	328 of 665	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.9	40 of 67	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.0	31 of 64	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.4	18 of 58	69.0%	★★★★☆
2023	41.8	32 of 54	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.4	43 of 57	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	70.9	78 of 333	76.6%	★★★★☆
2025	62.9	100 of 328	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.4	117 of 237	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.4	140 of 221	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	297 of 500	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.0	296 of 478	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.7	414 of 473	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	57.2	271 of 644	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.7	274 of 649	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.6	309 of 652	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.2	342 of 656	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	346 of 658	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.6	359 of 632	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.5	485 of 624	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.1	394 of 596	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2019)87th percentile+43 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)77th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2026)71st percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2026)68th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)66th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)60th percentile~ school

White (2026)58th percentile~ school

Male (2026)53rd percentile-6 vs school

Special Education (2026)41st percentile-18 vs school

Military Connected (2026)40th percentile-18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)37th percentile-21 vs school

Disabled (2021)9th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science79%+10 vs state

Mathematics59%+3 vs state

Reading54%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near SanLee Middle School

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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/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 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
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	99.6%	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
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
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
New Century Middle	Public	6-8	1577 Union Church Road	Cameron	28326	Harnett 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
Highland Middle	Public	6-8	345 Highland School Rd	Sanford	27332	Lee 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	99.4%	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
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
Overhills Middle	Public	6-8	2711 Ray Road	Spring Lake	28390	Cumberland 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	99.3%	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 SanLee Middle School

What high school do graduates of SanLee Middle School attend?

Students who attend SanLee Middle School usually go on to attend Lee Early College

What is the racial makeup of SanLee Middle School?

Students at SanLee Middle School are 46% Hispanic, 30% White, 19% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is SanLee Middle School in?

Lee County Schools

How many students attend SanLee Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 792 students attended SanLee Middle School.

Is SanLee Middle School a good school?

SanLee Middle School ranks 323^rd of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate SanLee Middle School!

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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.