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Sanford, North Carolina - 16 schools
An equity score of 66/100 ranks Lee County Schools #61 of 293 districts in North Carolina (state average 45). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,250 per pupil, Lee County Schools ranks #122 of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending (North Carolina districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
9,143
Total Enrollment
16
Schools
$12,250
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lee County Schools operates 16 public schools serving 9,143 students, placing it among the smaller districts in North Carolina. The school portfolio breaks down into 7 elementary, 3 high, 3 middle, 3 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,250 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 322 North Carolina districts by per-pupil spending. See how North Carolina compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 16.8% local, 59.9% state, and 23.3% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 66/100, ranked #61 of 293 in North Carolina against a state average of 45, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 16 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 411.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 37.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.3% Hispanic or Latino, 30.7% White, 19.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is J R Ingram Jr Elementary, with a diversity index of 70.1/100.
Its largest campus is Lee County High, enrolling 1,459 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Bragg Street Academy, at 40 students, a 36x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lee County High accounts for 15.9% of all Lee County Schools student enrollment
That concentration means Lee County Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Lee County Schools school enrollment varies 36× across entities
Lee County Schools school enrollment ranges from 40 students (lowest) to 1,459 students (highest), a spread of 1,419 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Lee County Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 65.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Lee County Schools student-counselor ratio is 412:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Lee County Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 37.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Lee County Schools has 16 schools, including 3 high, 3 middle, 7 elementary, 3 combined. Total enrollment is 9,143 students.
How much does Lee County Schools spend per student?
Lee County Schools spends $12,250 per student. The district has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #61 in North Carolina.
What is the demographic composition of Lee County Schools?
Lee County Schools students are 43.3% Hispanic or Latino, 30.7% White, 19.9% African American, 0.8% Asian, averaged across 16 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lee County Schools?
Lee County Schools has an equity score of 66/100, ranking #61 out of 293 districts in North Carolina.