Enrollment
81
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 317719001634
Sterling High School — Sterling, NE
Federal NCES profile for Sterling High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 84
📋 Attendance 29
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 Public Schools · Nebraska
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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Nebraska avg
-27% 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
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 81 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the Nebraska state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Nebraska average and 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 81 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Sterling Public Schools spends $18,402 per pupil district-wide, below the Nebraska average of $20,313 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 79.5% from local sources (property taxes), 13.8% from the state, and 6.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 4 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 Nebraska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.9:1 | ▼ 27% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.6% | ▼ 24% | 30.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 81 | top 16% | — | — |
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.
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
9.9:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 20% in Nebraska — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.4%
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
$18,402
per pupil, district-wide
— below Nebraska avg of $20,313
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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
Enrollment 81 Top 16% in Nebraska — larger than 84% of 1,010 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 9.9:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.6% -24% vs state
NCES ID 317719001634
Student demographics
White 87.7%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
Largest group: White at 87.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 81:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.4%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sterling Public Schools, which includes Sterling High School.
$18,402
Per student
-9%
vs Nebraska
Avg $20,313
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
Similar other schools in Sterling
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 81 students enrolled. It is a other school in STERLING, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School is 9.9:1, which is 27% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.6:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a student body in STERLING, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling High School?
Sterling High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.