Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County
Sanford · NC · Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County · Public charter · K-12 combined
Similar nearby schools
Most similar nearby schools
Central Carolina Academy → Chatham Central High → Southern Wake Academy → Southern Lee High School → Lee County High → Triangle Math and Science Academy → Cross Creek Early College → Northwood High →At a glance
- AP rigor: Bottom 6% of US high schools
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
How Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County compares for families
What families should know about Ascend Leadership Academy: Lee County.
- ▸ LocallyNC sits right at the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math — local school quality will set your kid apart.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Central Carolina Academy, Chatham Central High, Southern Wake Academy and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.
For Parents
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Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.
SAT / ACT participation
CRDC federal data · 2020-21Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.
Your state's public flagship
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $11,655/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.
Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.
Chronic absenteeism
Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the strongest early indicator of dropout, transfer-out, and family disengagement. A school's absenteeism trend forecasts its enrollment trend 1-3 years out.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2021 total enrollment.
Counselor capacity
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.
Enrollment trend & projection
Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).
If the recent trend holds…
At its recent rate of +9.8%/year, projecting from 2024's 628 students:
An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.
Revenue upside
At $8,477 per student in district revenue, the 374 students projected to be gained by 2029 represent ≈ $3,170,398/year in additional funding.
District total revenue ÷ enrollment, NCES F-33. Public funding largely follows enrollment, so a shrinking class is a recurring budget hit.
Most similar nearby high schools
The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.
| School | Type | Miles | HS enrollment | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Carolina Academy Sanford |
Public · charter | 5.9 | 227 | +320.4% |
| Chatham Central High Bear Creek |
Public | 19.4 | 320 | -28.3% |
| Southern Wake Academy Holly Springs |
Public · charter | 21.2 | 293 | -7.6% |
| Southern Lee High School Sanford |
Public | 3.4 | 1,180 | -4.5% |
| Lee County High Sanford |
Public | 2.6 | 1,459 | +1.7% |
| Triangle Math and Science Academy Cary |
Public · charter | 27.3 | 470 | +59.3% |
| Cross Creek Early College Fayetteville |
Public | 28.1 | 253 | +2.8% |
| Northwood High Pittsboro |
Public | 22.5 | 634 | -43.6% |