Enrollment
676
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530231003822
Sterling Junior High School — East Wenatchee, WA
Federal NCES profile for Sterling Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 0
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: Eastmont School District · Washington
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.9:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.1%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sterling Junior High School compares with Washington 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 Junior High School reports 676 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% above the Washington average and 6% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 313 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 75.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Eastmont School District spends $17,089 per pupil district-wide, below the Washington average of $23,175 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.3% from local sources (property taxes), 65.8% from the state, and 13.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 Junior High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.1% | ▲ 22% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 676 | top 85% | — | — |
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
55.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.9:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 66% in Washington — lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
75.9%
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
$17,089
per pupil, district-wide
— below Washington avg of $23,175
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.2 FTE
Per 313 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
68
in-school suspensions + 34 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 676 Top 85% in Washington — larger than 15% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 17.9:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.1% +22% vs state
NCES ID 530231003822
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.0%
White 45.6%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.2
Students per counselor 313:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 75.9%
In-school suspensions 68
Out-of-school suspensions 34
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Eastmont School District, which includes Sterling Junior High School.
$17,089
Per student
-26%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.3%
State 65.8%
Federal 13.9%
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
- 1,534
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 687
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 568
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 534
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 530
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
Similar other schools in East Wenatchee
2 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Sterling Junior High School?
Sterling Junior High School has 676 students enrolled. It is a other school in East Wenatchee, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sterling Junior High School is 17.9:1, which is 1% higher than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sterling Junior High School?
55.1% of students at Sterling Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sterling Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Sterling Junior High School is Hispanic or Latino at 49.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in East Wenatchee, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sterling Junior High School?
Sterling Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.