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What clubs or activities at Sterling High School are worth joining?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
999
High
DISTRICT 542 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STERLING CUSD 5·NCES 174231004261
Sterling High School
1608 4th Ave, Sterling, IL 61081 · (815) 625-6800 · Whiteside County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL999 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
57 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.6:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
54%
540 students
DISTRICT 62% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 281 | 28% |
| Grade 10 | 235 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 239 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 244 | 24% |
Student demographics
58%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Sterling CUSD 5. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
37.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.3%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 40% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Sterling High School
Sterling High School's state test result (37.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling High School this school | 999 | 54.1% | 37.3% |
| Streator Twp High School Streator | 764 | 54.6% | 28.0% |
| Mendota Twp High School Mendota | 493 | 56.2% | 33.5% |
| Belvidere North High School Belvidere | 1,354 | 45.6% | 34.7% |
| Monmouth-Roseville High School Monmouth | 483 | 52.0% | 32.3% |
| La Salle-Peru Twp High School La Salle | 1,167 | 47.3% | 37.7% |
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Sterling High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Whiteside County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.3% | #249 of 573 | #4 of 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 999 | #220 of 708 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.5:1 | #488 of 528 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 58.0% | #127 of 537 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 54.1% | #250 of 578 | #3 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.3% | #272 of 358 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
999
-57 (-5%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 1,200
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 999 | 57 | 17.5:1 | 54% (540) |
| 2023-24 | 996 | 53.8 | 18.5:1 | 52% (514) |
| 2022-23 | 1,049 | 55.5 | 18.9:1 | 45% (476) |
| 2020-21 | 1,056 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,044 | 53.1 | 19.7:1 | 53% (557) |
| 2015-16 | 1,065 | 52 | 20.5:1 | 47% (503) |
| 2010-11 | 1,009 | 58 | 17.4:1 | 42% (424) |
| 2000-01 | 1,133 | 65 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,200 | 59 | 20.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sterling High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 4% (1,044 to 999); teachers up 7% (53.1 to 57).
About Sterling High School
Sterling High School sits in Sterling, Illinois, and is classified as a high school. The school offers grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 999 students.
Sterling High School reports to Sterling CUSD 5, which has 6 schools and 3,253 students.
Federal enrollment data show Sterling High School is 53% White. Other groups make up 37% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 2% Black. Whiteside County as a whole is about 85% White, so the school's share is lower. A diversity index of 58% means there is a 58% chance two randomly chosen students at Sterling High School are from different groups.
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sterling High School is 17.5:1, based on 57 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, high schools in Illinois average 13.8:1. Lunch program data show 54% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The figure for public schools in Whiteside County is close, at 55%.
Sterling High School posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 37.3%, compared with a predicted 40.3%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Illinois schools on BeatsExpectations.
For the population of Whiteside County, median household income comes to about $67,500, roughly 21% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 8%. Whiteside County counts 50 public schools with about 8,445 students.
Challand Middle School, about 0.2 miles away, is the closest public school. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. On average proficiency, Sterling High School is 4th of 7 nearby schools with test data.
Sterling High School has an NCES locale of Town: Distant.
Enrollment decreased by 5% across 4 years, from 1,056 in 2020-21 to 999 in 2024-25.
Sterling High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Whiteside County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
54,947
Census ACS
Median income
$67,500
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
50
8,445 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Sterling CUSD 5
- Challand Middle SchoolMiddle · 726 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary · 450 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 407 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 394 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 277 students
Other schools in Sterling
- Challand Middle SchoolMiddle · 726 students
- Jefferson Elementary SchoolElementary · 450 students
- Franklin Elementary SchoolElementary · 407 students
- Washington Elementary SchoolElementary · 394 students
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolElementary · 277 students
- ROE 47 Student Support ALOPCombined
Other Sterling High schools
6 other US public schools in 6 states are named Sterling High. Sterling High School is the 3rd largest of the 7.
- Sterling High SchoolBAYTOWN, TX · 2,150 students
- Sterling High SchoolHOUSTON, TX · 1,146 students
- Sterling High SchoolSomerdale, NJ · 839 students
- Sterling High SchoolSTERLING, CO · 421 students
- Sterling High SchoolSterling, OK · 99 students
Nearby schools
- Challand Middle School0.2 mi · 726
- Jefferson Elementary School0.3 mi · 450
- Lincoln Elementary School0.8 mi · 277
- Washington Elementary School0.8 mi · 394
- Franklin Elementary School0.8 mi · 407
- Rock Falls Township High School1.8 mi · 530
Frequently asked questions
About Sterling High SchoolHow large is Sterling High School?
Sterling High School enrolls approximately 999 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Sterling High School serve?
Sterling High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sterling High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Sterling High School is approximately 17.5:1 (57 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sterling High School?
At Sterling High School, the student body is approximately 53% White, 37% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
What district is Sterling High School in?
Sterling High School is part of Sterling CUSD 5.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.