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
0/100100/10041/100
👥 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.

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+52 students YoY

Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County grew from 547 students in 2022-23 to 599 in 2023-24 (+9.5%).

Teacher FTE added 39.5 → 41.6 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Growing CCD campus

+52 students YoY 370043803459 · Sanford, NC Other · MID · CHARTER

628 enr · 16.1:1 · RII 41

Nearest enrollment peer: Sky Crossing Elementary School (628 students)

Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County grew from 547 students in 2022-23 to 599 in 2023-24 (+9.5%). Teacher FTE added 39.5 → 41.6 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · North Carolina schools → · Find another →

How Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County compares

Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County is a growing campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs 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 methodology

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
$8,991
per pupil, district-wide - below North Carolina avg of $12,294
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.

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

District finance for Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County reports $8,991 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

Similar other schools in Sanford

4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Nationwide other schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

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. CCD year-over-year: 547 (2022-23) → 599 (2023-24), up 52.

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, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. 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.

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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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