Total enrollment
3,253
-10 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
6 schools in Sterling CUSD 5
Illinois · 3,253 students · 1 city
Sterling CUSD 5 is a public-school district inside Illinois, running 6 K-12 schools with combined enrollment of roughly 3,253 students, broken out as 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high.
4-year change in Sterling CUSD 5
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
6
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Sterling CUSD 5 ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Illinois | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #221 of 327 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 3,253 | #117 of 508 | #2,981 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 6 | #125 of 508 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #432 of 506 | #5,627 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 60.5% | #115 of 456 | #2,812 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.8% | #119 of 341 | #2,071 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Sterling CUSD 5
State test results across the district's 4 scored schools run from Washington Elementary School at 41.5% proficient to Challand Middle School at 32.0%, a gap of 9.5 points. That is the 152nd widest gap among 172 Illinois districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 6 district schools that reported both years went from 3,372 to 3,253 students (down 4%) and from 177 to 215 full-time teachers (up 21%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling High School | Sterling | High | 09-12 | 999 |
| Challand Middle School | Sterling | Middle | 06-08 | 726 |
| Jefferson Elem School | Sterling | Elementary | PK-02 | 450 |
| Franklin Elem School | Sterling | Elementary | PK-02 | 407 |
| Washington Elem School | Sterling | Elementary | 03-05 | 394 |
| Lincoln Elem School | Sterling | Elementary | 03-05 | 277 |
About Sterling CUSD 5
Sterling CUSD 5 is a compact public-school district in Illinois. The district operates 6 schools and serves approximately 3,253 students.
On the school-mix side, Sterling CUSD 5 is made up of 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school.
Average enrollment per school in Sterling CUSD 5 is about 542, above the Illinois average of roughly 480.
Over the past 4-year window. Combined enrollment now sits at 3,253 students, remained close to its prior level from the 3,263 reported in SY 2020-21.
On allk12, the community for Sterling CUSD 5 discusses school events, board meetings, and seasonal calendars. Members of the local community share what they see day-to-day.