Enrollment
374
Middle
DISTRICT 315 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PEORIA SD 150·NCES 173123005325
Sterling Middle School
2315 N Sterling Ave, Peoria, IL 61604 · (309) 672-6557 · Peoria County
GRADES 05–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL374 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 2% of Illinois public middle schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public middle schools
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
25 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
89%
331 students
DISTRICT 80% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 | 105 | 28% |
| Grade 6 | 88 | 24% |
| Grade 7 | 87 | 23% |
| Grade 8 | 94 | 25% |
Student demographics
43%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · 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
Test scores
IAR + ISA 2024-25 . % Proficient (Levels 4-5)English Language Arts
15.6%
IL avg 51.0% . +6.5pp since 2023
Math
3.6%
IL avg 37.9% . +2.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the IAR + ISA, Illinois's statewide test, about 16 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 4 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Illinois schools, those numbers are about 51 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
IAR + ISA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 15.6% | 3.6% |
| 2023-24 | 9.1% | 1.5% |
% Proficient (Levels 4-5), all students and all tested grades.
Source: IAR + ISA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
9.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
20.4%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 9% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 20% 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 Middle School
Sterling Middle School's state test result (9.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Middle School this school | 374 | 88.5% | 9.4% |
| Harold B Dawson Middle School West Peoria | 331 | 92.1% | 11.3% |
| Kennedy Middle School Rockford | 393 | 90.3% | 6.3% |
| Von Steuben Middle School Peoria | 266 | 87.6% | 15.3% |
| Barack Obama School of Ldership Chicago Heights | 367 | 80.7% | 29.4% |
| Michelle Obama School of Technology Park Forest | 428 | 79.0% | 22.4% |
Matched among Illinois middle 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 Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois | In Peoria County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 9.4% | #575 of 578 | #15 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 3.6% | #635 of 640 ▼ 3 | #15 of 15 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 15.6% | #631 of 640 ▲ 4 | #15 of 15 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 374 | #384 of 691 | #3 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #437 of 558 | #5 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 43.2% | #310 of 560 | #8 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 88.5% | #43 of 581 | #3 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.6% | #225 of 440 | #5 of 8 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
374
-53 (-12%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 488
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 | 374 | 25.3 | 14.8:1 | 89% (331) |
| 2023-24 | 350 | 23.4 | 14.9:1 | 87% (303) |
| 2022-23 | 385 | 21.8 | 17.7:1 | 82% (314) |
| 2020-21 | 427 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 423 | 30.9 | 13.7:1 | 70% (297) |
| 2015-16 | 359 | 35 | 10.3:1 | 74% (267) |
| 2010-11 | 325 | 28 | 11.6:1 | 83% (270) |
| 2000-01 | 348 | 21 | 16.6:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 488 | 25 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sterling Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (423 to 374); teachers down 18% (30.9 to 25.3).
About Sterling Middle School
The public middle school Sterling Middle School is located in Peoria, Illinois. It reports enrollment of 374 students in grades 5 through 8.
Peoria SD 150 serves 13,312 students across 25 schools.
Black students are 74% of those enrolled at Sterling Middle School. Next come 11% multiracial, 8% White, and 6% Hispanic. That compares with about 17% Black among all Peoria County residents. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 43%.
Sterling Middle School reported 25.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, a ratio of 14.8:1. Middle schools in Illinois have an average ratio of 13.0:1. Roughly 89% of students at Sterling Middle School can receive free or reduced-price lunch. That is higher than the 57% average for public schools in Peoria County.
Sterling Middle School holds an F allk12 Grade, placing it above 2% of Illinois public middle schools.
Sterling Middle School is 11.0 points below its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (9.4% versus 20.4%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Illinois.
Looking at the county, Peoria County, the median household earns about $65,108 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 35%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Peoria County has 81 public schools with about 27,827 students, including Sterling Middle School.
Measured in a straight line, Dr Maude A Sanders Primary School is about 0.9 miles from Sterling Middle School. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, Sterling Middle School ranks 7th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Sterling Middle School's location as City: Mid-size.
The school shrank from 427 students in 2020-21 to 374 in 2024-25.
Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at Sterling Middle School. You can also rate the school on this page.
Peoria County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
179,645
Census ACS
Median income
$65,108
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
81
27,827 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Peoria SD 150
- Richwoods High SchoolHigh · 1,685 students
- Peoria High SchoolHigh · 1,541 students
- Lincoln SchoolElementary · 823 students
- Glen Oak Comm Learning CntrElementary · 794 students
- Manual High SchoolHigh · 731 students
- The Elise Ford Allen AcademyElementary · 642 students
Other schools in Peoria
- Richwoods High SchoolHigh · 1,685 students
- Peoria High SchoolHigh · 1,541 students
- Limestone Community High SchoolHigh · 898 students
- Lincoln SchoolElementary · 823 students
- Glen Oak Comm Learning CntrElementary · 794 students
- Manual High SchoolHigh · 731 students
Other Sterling Middle schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Sterling Middle. Sterling Middle School is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Sterling MiddleSterling, VA · 967 students
- Sterling Middle SchoolSTERLING, CO · 397 students
Nearby schools
- Dr Maude A Sanders Primary School0.9 mi · 442
- Quest Charter School Academy1.0 mi · 399
- Pleasant Valley Intermediate School1.1 mi · 166
- Harold B Dawson Middle School1.4 mi · 331
- Whittier Primary School1.5 mi · 366
- Dr. C.T. Vivian Primary School1.7 mi · 378
Frequently asked questions
About Sterling Middle SchoolHow many students attend Sterling Middle School?
Sterling Middle School enrolls approximately 374 students in grades 05-08.
Is Sterling Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Sterling Middle School is a middle school covering grades 05-08.
How many teachers does Sterling Middle School have?
Sterling Middle School employs 25 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.8:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Sterling Middle School?
At Sterling Middle School, the student body is approximately 8% White, 6% Hispanic, 74% Black, 0% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is Sterling Middle School public or private?
Sterling Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Peoria SD 150.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.