Public schools in Sanford, NC
Sanford has 21 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 6 high, 4 middle, 10 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 12,805 students. They are run by 5 districts and agencies; Lee County Schools runs 15 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 5 districts and agencies that run Sanford's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Sanford | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County Schools | 15 | 9,143 | $13,241 |
| Harnett County Schools | 3 | 20,050 | $10,877 |
| Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County | 1 | 547 | $8,991 |
| Central Carolina Academy | 1 | 272 | $7,757 |
| MINA Charter School of Lee County | 1 | 474 | $10,593 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
6 high schools in Sanford, 4,115 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County High | 1,459 | 19.8 | 98.9% | Lee County Schools |
| Southern Lee High School | 1,180 | 21.0 | 99.7% | Lee County Schools |
| Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County | 628 | 13.5 | not reported | Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County |
| Central Carolina Academy | 536 | 15.4 | 26.5% | Central Carolina Academy |
| Lee Early College | 272 | 39.7 | 98.9% | Lee County Schools |
| Bragg Street Academy | 40 | 6.4 | 90.0% | Lee County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
4 middle schools in Sanford, 2,602 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SanLee Middle School | 792 | 15.3 | 99.6% | Lee County Schools |
| Highland Middle | 762 | 15.4 | 58.9% | Harnett County Schools |
| East Lee Middle | 526 | 15.5 | 97.5% | Lee County Schools |
| West Lee Middle | 522 | 13.7 | 96.9% | Lee County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
10 elementary schools in Sanford, 5,993 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benhaven Elementary | 1,065 | 16.4 | 40.1% | Harnett County Schools |
| Highland Elementary | 854 | 15.1 | 51.1% | Harnett County Schools |
| WB Wicker Elementary | 588 | 14.2 | 99.1% | Lee County Schools |
| J Glenn Edwards Elementary | 587 | 16.4 | 99.5% | Lee County Schools |
| Greenwood Elementary | 571 | 14.8 | 99.5% | Lee County Schools |
| Tramway Elementary | 559 | 14.0 | 98.7% | Lee County Schools |
| Deep River Elementary | 557 | 16.3 | 96.8% | Lee County Schools |
| BT Bullock Elementary | 511 | 15.2 | 99.4% | Lee County Schools |
| J R Ingram Jr Elementary | 419 | 13.9 | 99.3% | Lee County Schools |
| MINA Charter School of Lee County | 282 | 10.0 | 98.2% | MINA Charter School of Lee County |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
One other school in Sanford, 95 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd L Knight Children Center | 95 | 7.4 | 96.8% | Lee County Schools |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Sanford's public schools compare with North Carolina's
The median Sanford school has 15.2 students per full-time teacher, about the same as the North Carolina median of 15.4. 50% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 55% across the state. Its median school enrolls 559 students (state 497).
| Sanford | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 15.2 | 15.4 |
| Median school size (students) | 559 | 497 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 50% | 55% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 0% | 0% |
| Charter schools | 14% | 7.5% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 21 Sanford schools and the 2,653 North Carolina schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Sanford
- Lee County SchoolsRuns 15 of Sanford's 21 public schools and spent $13,241 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,241
- Lee County High, the largest high school in Sanford1,459 students in 2024-25, 19.8 per teacher.1,459
- Compare Lee County Schools with Harnett County SchoolsSanford's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaNorth Carolina's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Sanford addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in North Carolina
- Charlotte173 schools
- Raleigh99 schools
- Greensboro79 schools
- Durham68 schools
- Fayetteville68 schools
- Winston Salem64 schools
- Wilmington44 schools
- Concord35 schools
Questions about schools in Sanford
How many public schools are in Sanford, NC?
21 public schools with an address in Sanford were open in 2024-25: 6 high, 4 middle, 10 elementary, 1 other, enrolling 12,805 students. 3 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Sanford?
Lee County High, with 1,459 students in 2024-25 (Lee County Schools).Which districts run Sanford's schools?
Lee County Schools (15 schools), Harnett County Schools (3 schools), Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County (1 school), Central Carolina Academy (1 school), and 1 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25