Enrollment
81
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Sterling, NE
Sterling High School
Federal NCES profile for Sterling High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 62/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 317719001634
👥 S:T ratio 64
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sterling High School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Nebraska schools.
- 62
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9:1
- small classes for Nebraska
- 23.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 81
- students enrolled
Sterling High School has class sizes smaller than 84% of Nebraska schools. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Sterling Public Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 317719001634 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.6%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling High School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sterling High School
Sterling High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Sterling, Nebraska, enrolling 81 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 81 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,003 scored Nebraska schools.
Against 108 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #47.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 81 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Sterling Public Schools, also runs Sterling Elementary School (143 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 High School compares
Sterling High School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9:1 | ▼ 33% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 24% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 81 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
81
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% below the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 16% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.4%
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
$16,014
per pupil, district-wide
- below Nebraska avg of $17,680
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 81 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.6, Sterling High School is less mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sterling Public Schools, which includes Sterling High School.
$16,014
Per student
-9%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.5%
State 13.8%
Federal 6.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher 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
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~81 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sterling High School's federal record.
- Compare Sterling High School against another school. Compare schools
- Sterling Public Schools'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 81 students enrolled. It is a public school in Sterling, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School is 9:1, which is 33% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 43% 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 High School?
23.6% of students at Sterling High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling High School?
The largest demographic group at Sterling High School is White at 87.7% of enrollment, in Sterling, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling High School?
Sterling High School has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (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 High School a good school?
Sterling High School earns 62/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of Nebraska 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 Public Schools?
Besides Sterling High School, Sterling Public Schools also operates Sterling Elementary School (143 students). See the Sterling Public Schools 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.