Enrollment
114
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sterling, AK
Sterling Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sterling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020039000173
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sterling Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Alaska schools.
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 8.8:1
- small classes for Alaska
- 40.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 114
- students enrolled
Sterling Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020039000173 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.0%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling Elementary compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sterling Elementary
Sterling Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sterling, Alaska, enrolling 114 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.8:1, Sterling Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Alaska schools and 42% under the state's 15.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 114 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Two or More (15%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1140 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Kenai Peninsula Borough School District spends $20,242 per pupil, 39% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District also operates Connections (1,188 students) and Soldotna High School (695 students) alongside Sterling Elementary.
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 Sterling Elementary compares
Sterling Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.8:1 | ▼ 42% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.0% | ▼ 35% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 114 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.8:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
114
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.8:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 15% in Alaska - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
69.3%
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
$20,242
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.1 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 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
White 73.7%
Two or More 14.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Largest group: White at 73.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Sterling Elementary is about as mixed as the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, which includes Sterling Elementary.
$20,242
Per student
-39%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 54.5%
Federal 16.1%
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 Sterling Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connections | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Soldotna High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenai Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mt. View Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kenai Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sterling Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,188
- Students per teacher
- 74.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 525
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 408
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alaska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~114 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sterling Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sterling Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Kenai Peninsula Borough School District'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 Sterling Elementary
How many students attend Sterling Elementary?
Sterling Elementary has 114 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sterling, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling Elementary is 8.8:1, which is 42% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 44% lower 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 Sterling Elementary?
40.0% of students at Sterling Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sterling Elementary is White at 73.7% of enrollment, in Sterling, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling Elementary?
Sterling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Sterling Elementary a good school?
Sterling Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Alaska schools. 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 Kenai Peninsula Borough School District?
Besides Sterling Elementary, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District also operates Connections (1,188 students), Soldotna High School (695 students), and Kenai Central High School (525 students). See the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District 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.