East Lee Middle, Sanford NC - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on East Lee Middle

East Lee Middle serves a middle school population in Sanford, North Carolina, drawn primarily from Lee County. The school enrolls a diverse student body, with roughly half the enrollment identifying as Hispanic, a quarter as white, and a fifth as Black, along with smaller populations of other backgrounds. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic makeup of the neighborhoods the school serves.

The school's state test results show proficiency rates in the low to mid-range across the three tested subjects. In mathematics and English language arts, proficiency rates sit at roughly one in three students. Science proficiency is comparable. These results place the school below state medians and suggest that a significant proportion of the student body is not yet meeting grade-level standards in tested subjects. A parent evaluating this school would want to understand what support systems exist for students working below proficiency and what interventions the school uses to help them progress.

East Lee Middle sits in Sanford, a small city anchored by a historic brick manufacturing heritage and now positioning itself as a life sciences hub with major employers including Pfizer, Caterpillar, and Tyson Foods. The city has invested in downtown revitalization, including streetscape improvements, parks, and a planned downtown mobility hub connected to regional rail exploration. Housing values in the Sanford area are modest relative to the broader state and nation, and rents are proportionally lower than mortgage costs, making the area accessible to families building equity through homeownership. The regional economy is anchored in manufacturing, food production, and retail, sectors that continue to draw both established and emerging employers.

The Lee County Schools district has recently navigated a substantial property revaluation that increased assessed home values significantly while the county commissioners lowered the property tax rate, a shift that means families new to the area will face different tax carrying costs than those who owned homes before revaluation. The district deferred a school bond referendum to 2026 or later, meaning several facility improvements at the comprehensive high schools remain unfunded pending a future public vote. In a positive development for families with younger children, a new shared facility for Veterans Park Academy of Arts and Lemuel Teal Middle School is nearing completion, representing a fresh investment in school capacity and options in the district.

State testing data was available for the current school year; multi-year trend data was not available, making it difficult to assess whether proficiency is improving, holding steady, or declining. The school's special education population count and English learner population count were not disclosed in the data available. No information on school discipline, attendance, or chronic absenteeism was provided. A parent considering East Lee Middle would benefit from asking the school directly about its academic support services, tutoring and intervention programs, and what progress monitoring looks like for students performing below grade level.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grades 3-836%

School 36% · District 53% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grades 3-836%

School 36% · District 47% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grades 3-837%

School 37% · District 54% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

This schoolLee County Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income22%Higher-income51%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income39%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income40%6 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income31%Higher-income43%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income30%Higher-income50%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income57%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income24%Higher-income27%3 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income30%Higher-income44%14 pp gap