Enrollment
430
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 510225000932
Sterling Elementary — Sterling, VA
Federal NCES profile for Sterling Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 73
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Loudoun County Public Schools · Virginia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.3:1
vs 14:1 Virginia avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.6%
vs 59.9% Virginia avg
+65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Sterling Elementary reports 430 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 26% below the Virginia state mean of 14:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 35% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 65% above the Virginia average and 90% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 430 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Loudoun County Public Schools spends $20,784 per pupil district-wide, above the Virginia average of $16,211 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 67.9% from local sources (property taxes), 27.1% from the state, and 5.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sterling Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.3:1 | ▼ 26% | 14:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.6% | ▲ 65% | 59.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 31% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
98.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 65% above the Virginia average of 59.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher
— 26% below state mean
Top 5% in Virginia — lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$20,784
per pupil, district-wide
— above Virginia avg of $16,211
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 430 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 430 Top 31% in Virginia — larger than 69% of 1,869 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 10.3:1 -26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.6% +65% vs state
NCES ID 510225000932
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 64.4%
Asian 13.5%
White 10.9%
African American 6.7%
Two or More 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 64.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 430:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.7%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Loudoun County Public Schools, which includes Sterling Elementary.
$20,784
Per student
+28%
vs Virginia
Avg $16,211
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 67.9%
State 27.1%
Federal 5.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,166
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,885
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,862
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,851
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
Similar other schools in Sterling
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Dominion High
Standard public school
1,453 students 12:1 students per teacher
Elaine E. Thompson Elementary
Standard public school
756 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Countryside Elementary
Standard public school
648 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Potowmack Elementary
Standard public school
568 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Rolling Ridge Elementary
Standard public school
562 students 10:1 students per teacher
Forest Grove Elementary
Standard public school
529 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Sterling Elementary
How many students attend Sterling Elementary?
Sterling Elementary has 430 students enrolled. It is a other school in Sterling, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling Elementary is 10.3:1, which is 26% lower than the Virginia average of 14:1 and 35% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sterling Elementary?
98.6% of students at Sterling Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 59.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sterling Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 64.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sterling, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling Elementary?
Sterling Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.