Enrollment
268
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sterling, KS
Sterling Grade School
Federal NCES profile for Sterling Grade School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 201203000808
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sterling Grade School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 32.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 268
- students enrolled
Sterling Grade School has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.3%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling Grade School compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sterling Grade School
Sterling Grade School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sterling, Kansas, enrolling 268 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 268 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 277 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #67.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Sterling's public schools, it stands alongside Sterling Junior High/Senior High (232 students): Sterling Grade School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.1:1 vs 12.2:1).
Its district, Sterling, also runs Sterling Junior High/Senior High (232 students).
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 Grade School compares
Sterling Grade School on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.3% | ▼ 24% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 61% in Kansas - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,129
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 92.2%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 92.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.8, Sterling Grade School is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sterling, which includes Sterling Grade School.
$15,129
Per student
-2%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.3%
State 67.2%
Federal 6.5%
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 Grade School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Junior High/Senior High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sterling Grade School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 232
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other schools in Sterling
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~268 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sterling Grade School's federal record.
- Compare Sterling Grade School against another school. Compare schools
- Sterling'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 Grade School
How many students attend Sterling Grade School?
Sterling Grade School has 268 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sterling, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling Grade School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling Grade School is 14.1:1, which is 2% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sterling Grade School?
32.3% of students at Sterling Grade School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling Grade School?
The largest demographic group at Sterling Grade School is White at 92.2% of enrollment, in Sterling, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling Grade School?
Sterling Grade School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Grade School a good school?
Sterling Grade School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. 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 Sterling?
Besides Sterling Grade School, Sterling also operates Sterling Junior High/Senior High (232 students). See the Sterling 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.