It is named after a former superintendent of Raleigh public schools, Jesse O. Sanderson.

[3] Sanderson Theatre Ensemble In 2018, Sanderson High School performed the play “26 Pebbles” by Eric Ulloa, a play about the Sandy Hook shooting, for the North Carolina Theatre Conference.

[4][full citation needed] Sanderson Sandpipers The director of the Sanderson Sandpipers,[clarification needed] Marshall Butler Jr., has been recognized as an outstanding music educator by the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra.

[citation needed] As of August 2019, Gretta Dula is the principal of Sanderson High School.

Catty Moore, Decker's predecessor, served in the position for seven years between 2000 and 2008,[7] and would later go on to become the superintendent of the Wake County Public School System in 2018.