Sanderson High

As a high-enrollment high school in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sanderson High teaches 1,648 students from grades 9 through 12, run under Wake County Schools. Compared to the state average of about 761 students per school, that is 117% larger than typical.

Wake County Schools comprises 198 schools with combined enrollment of 163,176 students; Sanderson High is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Sanderson High lists that the most-represented group is White (47%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school reports 23% Black, 21% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 58% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 91 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 18.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 19.6:1 average. About 43% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Sanderson High falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 65.6%; this one comes in at 39.2%, -26.4 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, Wake County reports that median household income runs about $105,768, roughly 57% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Sanderson High is one of 237 public schools in Wake County (combined enrollment of about 184,790 students).

Nearest neighbor: Green Elementary, around 0.5 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Sanderson High. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Sanderson High at 9th of 9; the average score across the group is 59.4%.

Sanderson High operates from a metropolitan location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 20%: 2,050 students in 2018 compared to 1,648 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 16% to 21% across the same window.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.