Enrollment
999
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 174231004261
Sterling High School — Sterling, IL
Federal NCES profile for Sterling High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 35
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: Sterling Cusd 5 · Illinois
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)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling High School compares with Illinois 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 High School reports 999 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 55.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 31% above the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 250 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sterling Cusd 5 spends $15,378 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $20,099 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 44.5% from local sources (property taxes), 42.1% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Illinois state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.1:1 | ▲ 31% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 999 | top 93% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 31% above state mean
Top 95% in Illinois — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,378
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $20,099
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 250 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 999 Top 93% in Illinois — larger than 7% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 55.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 174231004261
Student demographics
White 52.7%
Hispanic or Latino 37.1%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 2.3%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 52.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 250:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 37
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sterling Cusd 5, which includes Sterling High School.
$15,378
Per student
-23%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 44.5%
State 42.1%
Federal 13.3%
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
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 277
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
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 High School
How many students attend Sterling High School?
Sterling High School has 999 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sterling, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School is 19.1:1, which is 31% higher than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling High School?
The largest demographic group at Sterling High School is White at 52.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Sterling, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling High School?
Sterling High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.