Enrollment
1,180
North Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sanford, NC
Southern Lee High School
Federal NCES profile for Southern Lee High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 370256002781
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southern Lee High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the North Carolina median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Sanford · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.7:1
- students per teacher
- 56.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Southern Lee High School has class sizes near the North Carolina median. Computed live against every North Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Lee High School ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Sanford, NC.
School address
District: Lee County Schools · North Carolina
NCES ID 370256002781 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.8:1 North Carolina avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.1%
vs 66.0% North Carolina avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southern Lee High School compares with North Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southern Lee High School
Southern Lee High School is a higher-need, large high school in Sanford, North Carolina, enrolling 1,180 students.
At 15.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the North Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 15.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.1% lands close to the North Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in North Carolina, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,180 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,698 scored North Carolina schools.
Against 208 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #93.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and White (31%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 295 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 303 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,180 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Sanford's high schools, it stands alongside Lee County High (1,459 students): Southern Lee High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.7:1 vs 15.4:1).
Lee County Schools also operates Lee County High (1,459 students) and Sanlee Middle School (792 students) alongside Southern Lee High School.
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 Southern Lee High School compares
Southern Lee High School 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 | 15.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.1% | ▼ 15% | 66.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,180 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.7:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,180
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 59% in North Carolina - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
51.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,250
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 295 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
183
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 43.8%
White 30.5%
African American 21.3%
Two or More 3.3%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.9, Southern Lee High School is more mixed than the North Carolina school average of 56.1.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lee County Schools, which includes Southern Lee High School.
$12,250
Per student
+2%
vs North Carolina
Avg $12,017
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Southern Lee High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sanlee Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wb Wicker Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J Glenn Edwards Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southern Lee High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,459
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 792
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 588
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 571
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools in Sanford
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~1,180 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southern Lee High School's federal record.
- Compare Southern Lee High School against another school. Compare schools
- Lee County Schools'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 Southern Lee High School
How many students attend Southern Lee High School?
Southern Lee High School has 1,180 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sanford, NC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southern Lee High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southern Lee High School is 15.7:1, which is 1% lower than the North Carolina average of 15.8:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southern Lee High School?
56.1% of students at Southern Lee High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Carolina average of 66.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southern Lee High School?
The largest demographic group at Southern Lee High School is Hispanic or Latino at 43.8% of enrollment, in Sanford, NC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southern Lee High School?
Southern Lee High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Southern Lee High School rank among high schools in Sanford?
By Resource Investment Index, Southern Lee High School ranks #2 of 3 high 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 high schools in Sanford on the city page.
Is Southern Lee High School a good school?
Southern Lee High School earns 37/100 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 Lee County Schools?
Besides Southern Lee High School, Lee County Schools also operates Lee County High (1,459 students), Sanlee Middle School (792 students), and Wb Wicker Elementary (588 students). See the Lee County Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.