Sterling Elementary

Sterling Elementary is an elementary campus of close-knit scale in Sterling, Alaska, run under Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, teacheing 114 students in grades pre-K through 6. Compared to the state average of about 277 students per school, that is 59% leaner than typical.

Kenai Peninsula Borough School District runs 42 schools in total, collectively educating 8,510 students. Sterling Elementary is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Sterling Elementary shows that the largest single group is White, at 74% of enrollment. Other groups include 15% multiracial, 8% Native American, 4% Hispanic.

In terms of school funding signals, Sterling Elementary records 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.2:1. The state averages around 15.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 39% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Sterling Elementary performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 40.1%, the actual is 37.6%, a residual of -2.4 points.

In the area at large, Kenai Peninsula Borough reports that the typical household earns roughly $80,538 per year, about 30% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Sterling Elementary is one of 42 public schools in Kenai Peninsula Borough (combined enrollment of about 8,510 students).

Connections is the nearest neighboring public school, about 9.8 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Sterling Elementary's enrollment has edged down 51% since 2018, when it stood at 232 (now 114). Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.7:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 in 2025.

On this page, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.