Enrollment
999
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Sterling, IL
Sterling High School
Federal NCES profile for Sterling High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 174231004261
👥 S:T ratio 27
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sterling High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Illinois schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Sterling · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.2:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 999
- students enrolled
Sterling High School has class sizes larger than 92% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sterling High School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Sterling, IL.
School address
District: Sterling Cusd 5 · Illinois
NCES ID 174231004261 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sterling High School
Sterling High School is a large high school in Sterling, Illinois, enrolling 999 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.2:1 is larger than about 92% of Illinois schools and 30% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Illinois, bigger than 93% of state schools at 999 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (37%) (diversity index 58/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 250 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sterling Cusd 5 spends $13,182 per pupil, 23% below the Illinois average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Sterling Cusd 5 also operates Challand Middle School (726 students) and Jefferson Elem School (450 students) alongside Sterling High School.
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 High School compares
Sterling High School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.2:1 | ▲ 30% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 999 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
999
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 30% above state mean
Top 92% in Illinois - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.2%
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
$13,182
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 58.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.0, Sterling High School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sterling Cusd 5, which includes Sterling High School.
$13,182
Per student
-23%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Sterling High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challand Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Franklin Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elem School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sterling High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 726
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 277
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~999 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sterling High School's federal record.
- Compare Sterling High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sterling Cusd 5'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 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 18.2:1, which is 30% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling High School?
The largest demographic group at Sterling High School is White at 52.7% of enrollment, in Sterling, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling High School?
Sterling High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 High School rank among public schools in Sterling?
By Resource Investment Index, Sterling High School ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Sterling, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sterling on the city page.
Is Sterling High School a good school?
Sterling High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Illinois 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 Sterling Cusd 5?
Besides Sterling High School, Sterling Cusd 5 also operates Challand Middle School (726 students), Jefferson Elem School (450 students), and Franklin Elem School (407 students). See the Sterling Cusd 5 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.