Enrollment
1,459
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 370256001080
Lee County High — Sanford, NC
Federal NCES profile for Lee County High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 36
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 27
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Lee County Schools · North Carolina
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 16.4:1 North Carolina avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.6%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-14% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lee County High compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Lee County High reports 1,459 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 95.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the North Carolina state mean of 16.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 14% below the North Carolina average and 9% above the national baseline. The school offers 6 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 365 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 52.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lee County Schools spends $12,597 per pupil district-wide, below the North Carolina average of $13,042 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.8% from local sources (property taxes), 59.9% from the state, and 23.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Lee County High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Carolina | North Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 16.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.6% | ▼ 14% | 66.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,459 | top 96% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
56.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 14% below the North Carolina average of 66.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 62% in North Carolina — lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
52.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,597
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Carolina avg of $13,042
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 365 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
275
in-school suspensions + 115 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,459 Top 96% in North Carolina — larger than 4% of 2,703 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 95.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.6% -14% vs state
NCES ID 370256001080
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.9%
White 28.5%
African American 23.0%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 365:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 52.2%
In-school suspensions 275
Out-of-school suspensions 115
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee County Schools, which includes Lee County High.
$12,597
Per student
-3%
vs North Carolina
Avg $13,042
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.8%
State 59.9%
Federal 23.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,180
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
Similar high schools in Sanford
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Lee County High
How many students attend Lee County High?
Lee County High has 1,459 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sanford, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lee County High?
The student-teacher ratio at Lee County High is 15.9:1, which is 3% lower than the North Carolina average of 16.4:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lee County High?
56.6% of students at Lee County High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lee County High?
The largest demographic group at Lee County High is Hispanic or Latino at 43.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sanford, NC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lee County High?
Lee County High has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.