Enrollment
64
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210425002317
The Sterling School — Mount Sterling, KY
Federal NCES profile for The Sterling School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 22
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: Montgomery County · Kentucky
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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.7%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Sterling School compares with Kentucky 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
The Sterling School reports 64 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% above the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 33% above the Kentucky average and 52% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Montgomery County spends $12,862 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 21.5% from local sources (property taxes), 56.2% from the state, and 22.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 The Sterling School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kentucky state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.7% | ▲ 33% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 64 | top 11% | — | — |
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
78.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 33% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 1% above state mean
Top 59% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
31.3%
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
$12,862
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 64 Top 11% in Kentucky — larger than 89% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.7% +33% vs state
NCES ID 210425002317
Student demographics
White 92.2%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: White at 92.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County, which includes The Sterling School.
$12,862
Per student
-15%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 56.2%
Federal 22.3%
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
- 1,345
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 928
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 597
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 524
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Mount Sterling
5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Camargo Elementary School
Standard public school
597 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Mapleton Elementary School
Standard public school
524 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Northview Elementary
Standard public school
503 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Mount Sterling Elementary School
Standard public school
464 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Gateway Children'S Services
Alternative education program
17 students 13:1 students per teacher
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 The Sterling School
How many students attend The Sterling School?
The Sterling School has 64 students enrolled. It is a other school in Mount Sterling, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Sterling School?
The student-teacher ratio at The Sterling School is 15.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Sterling School?
78.7% of students at The Sterling School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Sterling School?
The largest demographic group at The Sterling School is White at 92.2%. The school serves a student body in Mount Sterling, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Sterling School?
The Sterling School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.