Enrollment
628
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sanford, NC
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County
Federal NCES profile for Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 370043803459Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Sanford · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 628
- students enrolled
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County ranks #3 of 5 schools in Sanford, NC.
School address
District: Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County · North Carolina
NCES ID 370043803459 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Sanford, North Carolina, enrolling 628 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 628 puts it in the larger third of North Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 314 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County spends $9,055 per pupil, 25% below the North Carolina average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Sanford's public schools, it stands alongside Benhaven Elementary (1,065 students): Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.1:1 vs 15:1).
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is a single-school charter district, so Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County compares
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County on the metrics families compare, against North Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 628 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
628
Bigger than 75% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 64% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,055
per pupil, district-wide
- below North Carolina avg of $12,017
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 314 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 54.1%
Hispanic or Latino 20.5%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 10.4%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.8, Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County, which includes Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County.
$9,055
Per student
-25%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 70.9%
Federal 7.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar other schools in Sanford
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Benhaven Elementary
Standard public school
1,065 students 15:1 students per teacher
Central Carolina Academy
Standard public school
536 students 31.5:1 students per teacher
Floyd L Knight Children Center
Special-education school
95 students 7.3:1 students per teacher
Bragg Street Academy
Alternative education program
40 students 4:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of North Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~628 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County's federal record.
- Compare Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County against another school. Compare schools
- Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County
How many students attend Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County?
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County has 628 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sanford, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County?
The student-teacher ratio at Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is 16.1:1, which is 2% higher than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County?
The largest demographic group at Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is White at 54.1% of enrollment, in Sanford, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County?
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County rank among schools in Sanford?
By Resource Investment Index, Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County ranks #3 of 5 schools in Sanford, NC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Sanford on the city page.
Is Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County a good school?
Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County?
None; Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is a single-school charter district, and Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is its only campus.
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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.