Enrollment
2,150
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Baytown, TX
Sterling H S
Federal NCES profile for Sterling H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 482115002122
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 28
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sterling H S earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas.
- #6 of 6
- high schools in Baytown · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 61.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Sterling H S has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sterling H S ranks #6 of 6 high schools in Baytown, TX.
School address
District: Goose Creek Cisd · Texas
NCES ID 482115002122 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
147.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sterling H S
Sterling H S is a higher-need, large high school in Baytown, Texas, enrolling 2,150 students.
At 14.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.4% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 97% of state schools at 2,150 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 197 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #131.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (18%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 478 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 15.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 544 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 2,150 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Goose Creek Cisd also operates Goose Creek Memorial (2,335 students) and Lee H S (1,747 students) alongside Sterling H S.
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 H S compares
Sterling H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.4% | ▼ 1% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 2,150 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
2,150
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 55% in Texas - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
28.9%
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
$11,713
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.5 FTE
Per 478 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
349
in-school suspensions + 195 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.3 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
Hispanic or Latino 61.3%
White 18.0%
African American 17.0%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.2, Sterling H S is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Goose Creek Cisd, which includes Sterling H S.
$11,713
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.7%
State 29.2%
Federal 15.1%
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 H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Creek Memorial | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lee H S | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| E F Green Junior School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gentry J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highlands J H | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sterling H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,335
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,747
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,095
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,013
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 885
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~2,150 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sterling H S's federal record.
- Compare Sterling H S against another school. Compare schools
- Goose Creek Cisd'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 H S
How many students attend Sterling H S?
Sterling H S has 2,150 students enrolled. It is a high school in Baytown, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling H S is 14.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 7% 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 H S?
61.4% of students at Sterling H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling H S?
The largest demographic group at Sterling H S is Hispanic or Latino at 61.3% of enrollment, in Baytown, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling H S?
Sterling H S has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sterling H S rank among high schools in Baytown?
By Resource Investment Index, Sterling H S ranks #6 of 6 high schools in Baytown, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Baytown on the city page.
Is Sterling H S a good school?
Sterling H S earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Texas. 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 Goose Creek Cisd?
Besides Sterling H S, Goose Creek Cisd also operates Goose Creek Memorial (2,335 students), Lee H S (1,747 students), and E F Green Junior School (1,095 students). See the Goose Creek Cisd 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.