Enrollment
268
Elementary
DISTRICT 250 · STATE 313
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STERLING·NCES 201203000808
Sterling Grade School
218 S 5th, Sterling, KS 67579 · (620) 278-3112 · Rice County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL268 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% of Kansas public elementary schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats 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 Kansas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.9:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
112 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 51%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 25 | 9% |
| Kindergarten | 32 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 31 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 32 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 33 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 44 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 28 | 10% |
| Grade 6 | 43 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (32) is 26% smaller than its 6th grade class (43).
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 58% · 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
Students here typically continue to
Sterling Grade School→Sterling Junior High/Senior High
Based on grade levels within Sterling. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
KAP 2024-25 . % Meeting + ExceedingEnglish Language Arts
68.2%
KS avg 44.5%
Math
82.8%
KS avg 38.8%
What this means: On the KAP, Kansas's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 83 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kansas schools, those numbers are about 45 and 39.
KAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 68.2% | 82.8% |
| 2023-24 | 62.5% | 80.0% |
% Meeting + Exceeding, all students and all tested grades. Kansas set new KAP cut scores in spring 2025, so results from 2023-24 and earlier are not comparable with later years.
Source: KAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of KS schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
75.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
42.2%
based on KS schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+33.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 75% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 42% typical for Kansas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 33 points, placing it in Kansas's top 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 Grade School
Sterling Grade School's state test result (75.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Grade School this school | 268 | 41.8% | 75.2% |
| Hillsboro Elem Hillsboro | 286 | 43.7% | 54.7% |
| Bluestem Elementary School Leon | 267 | 41.6% | 35.2% |
| Jackson Heights Elementary School Holton | 268 | 38.1% | 52.5% |
| Remington Elementary at Potwin Potwin | 225 | 43.1% | 56.5% |
| Inman Elem Inman | 260 | 41.2% | 44.5% |
Matched among Kansas elementary 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 Grade School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 75.2% | #11 of 625 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 82.8% | #5 of 625 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #86 of 625 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 268 | #431 of 714 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.2:1 | #134 of 539 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.8% | #525 of 540 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 41.8% | #453 of 658 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.5% | #358 of 377 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
268
-2 (-1%) vs 2020
-15% since 1990-91, when it was 317
Student : Teacher
12.2:1
was 14.2:1
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 | 268 | 22 | 12.2:1 | 42% (112) |
| 2023-24 | 271 | 19.2 | 14.1:1 | 40% (109) |
| 2022-23 | 260 | 19.3 | 13.5:1 | 46% (120) |
| 2020-21 | 270 | 19 | 14.2:1 | 40% (108) |
| 2017-18 | 272 | 22.4 | 12.1:1 | 48% (130) |
| 2015-16 | 293 | 22 | 13.3:1 | 48% (141) |
| 2010-11 | 282 | 22 | 12.8:1 | 43% (121) |
| 2000-01 | 287 | 19 | 15.1:1 | 43% (124) |
| 1990-91 | 317 | 17 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sterling Grade School.
Since 2017-18: students down 1% (272 to 268); teachers down 2% (22.4 to 22).
About Sterling Grade School
In Sterling, Kansas, part of Rice County, Sterling Grade School is an elementary school. It teaches 268 students in pre-K through 6.
Sterling enrolls 500 students in 2 schools, including Sterling Grade School.
By race and ethnicity, Sterling Grade School is 92% White. Other reported shares: 4% multiracial and 2% Black. That compares with about 79% White among all Rice County residents. The diversity index for Sterling Grade School is 15%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The school lists 22 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.2:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Kansas average 13.2:1. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 42% of the student body. For comparison, public schools in Rice County average 58%.
Among Kansas public elementary schools, Sterling Grade School outscored 99%, which works out to an A+ on the allk12 Grade.
Compared with Kansas schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Sterling Grade School does better than predicted by 33.0 points. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 75.2%; the prediction is 42.2%.
The school's county is Rice County. According to Census Bureau estimates, median household income comes to about $63,925, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and about 4% of people live in poverty. Rice County's 11 public schools enroll about 1,434 students and include Sterling Grade School.
Sterling Grade School's nearest public school is Sterling Junior High/Senior High (about 0.6 miles). There are 7 more public schools inside ten miles. Of the 8 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Sterling Grade School is 1st on average proficiency.
The school's locale code, Rural: Remote, means it is in rural territory far from an urban area.
Enrollment in 2024-25 was 268, close to the 270 recorded in 2020-21. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 14.2:1; by 2024-25 it was 12.2:1.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Sterling Grade School. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Rice County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,350
Census ACS
Median income
$63,925
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
11
1,434 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Nearby schools
- Sterling Junior High/Senior High0.6 mi · 232
- Nickerson High7.7 mi · 255
- Nickerson Elem7.9 mi · 183
- Lyons Middle School8.7 mi · 173
- Lyons High School8.8 mi · 221
- Lyons Central Elementary9.5 mi · 132
Frequently asked questions
About Sterling Grade SchoolHow large is Sterling Grade School?
Sterling Grade School enrolls approximately 268 students in grades PK-06.
Is Sterling Grade School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Sterling Grade School is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many students per teacher at Sterling Grade School?
Approximately 12.2:1 students per teacher at Sterling Grade School.
How diverse is Sterling Grade School?
Sterling Grade School reports a student body of 92% White, 1% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Sterling Grade School public or private?
Sterling Grade School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Sterling.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.