Enrollment
370
Elementary
DISTRICT 292 · STATE 369
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·AIRPORT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS·NCES 260198003943
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School
160 FESSNER RD, CARLETON, MI 48117 · (734) 654-6846 · Monroe County
GRADES PK–04ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL370 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 78% of Michigan public elementary schools
- B+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 Michigan public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.7:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.9:1 · STATE 15.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
170 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 55%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 73 | 20% |
| Grade 1 | 73 | 20% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 72 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 77 | 21% |
This year's kindergarten class (73) is 5% smaller than its 4th grade class (77).
Student demographics
16%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 22% · STATE 56% · 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
Based on grade levels within Airport Community Schools. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Joseph C Sterling Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
M-STEP 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
54.1%
MI avg 47.7%
Math
56.1%
MI avg 44.8%
What this means: On the M-STEP, Michigan's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Michigan schools, those numbers are about 48 and 45.
Source: M-STEP. 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
55.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
45.9%
based on MI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 46% typical for Michigan 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 Michigan'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 Joseph C Sterling Elementary School
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School's state test result (55.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph C Sterling Elementary School this school | 370 | 45.9% | 55.2% |
| Riverview Elementary School BIG RAPIDS | 346 | 48.3% | 72.5% |
| Warner Elementary School SPRING ARBOR | 371 | 43.1% | 45.9% |
| Coopersville West Early Childhood Center COOPERSVILLE | 352 | 44.3% | N/A |
| GalesburgAugusta Primary School GALESBURG | 399 | 45.6% | 35.2% |
| Lincoln Heights Elem School GREENVILLE | 398 | 50.0% | 50.4% |
Matched among Michigan 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 Joseph C Sterling Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Michigan | In Monroe County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.2% | #310 of 1,085 | #3 of 17 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 56.1% | #296 of 1,072 | #4 of 16 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.1% | #379 of 1,139 | #5 of 18 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 370 | #790 of 1,630 | #13 of 21 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.7:1 | #910 of 1,424 | #10 of 20 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 15.8% | #1,196 of 1,424 | #18 of 20 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.9% | #964 of 1,563 | #11 of 20 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +30.3% | #54 of 440 | #1 of 6 |
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
370
+96 (+35%) vs 2020
+10% since 1990-91, when it was 335
Student : Teacher
16.7:1
was 16.1:1
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 | 370 | 22.1 | 16.7:1 | 46% (170) |
| 2023-24 | 364 | 21.9 | 16.6:1 | 47% (172) |
| 2022-23 | 320 | 19.5 | 16.4:1 | 44% (142) |
| 2020-21 | 274 | 17 | 16.1:1 | 42% (116) |
| 2017-18 | 284 | 17.9 | 15.9:1 | 54% (152) |
| 2015-16 | 248 | 16 | 15.5:1 | 45% (111) |
| 2010-11 | 369 | 17 | 21.7:1 | 43% (159) |
| 2000-01 | 372 | 17 | 21.9:1 | 17% (62) |
| 1990-91 | 335 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Joseph C Sterling Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 30% (284 to 370); teachers up 23% (17.9 to 22.1).
About Joseph C Sterling Elementary School
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School is a medium-sized elementary school in CARLETON, Michigan. Students in pre-K through 4 attend the school, which enrolls 370 students.
Airport Community Schools counts 9 schools and 2,849 students, including Joseph C Sterling Elementary School.
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School's enrollment is 92% White. The remaining shares are 4% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. County-wide, about 90% of residents are White. Pick two students at random and there is a 16% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Teacher staffing is 22.1 full-time equivalents, or about 16.7 students per teacher. On average, elementary schools in Michigan have 15.8:1, compared with 16.7:1 here. About 46% of students, or 170, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
allk12 grades Joseph C Sterling Elementary School an A-. The grade compares the school only with Michigan public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Joseph C Sterling Elementary School is +9.3 points: 55.2% actual, 45.9% predicted.
According to the American Community Survey, in Monroe County, the median household income is $77,335, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. Joseph C Sterling Elementary School is one of 52 public schools in the county.
Airport Middle College is the public school closest to Joseph C Sterling Elementary School, about 0.1 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 7. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 42.4%; Joseph C Sterling Elementary School's is 55.2%, ranking 1st of 5.
The school's locale code, Rural: Fringe, means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Over 4 years, Joseph C Sterling Elementary School's enrollment grew 35%, to 370.
Posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Monroe County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
155,505
Census ACS
Median income
$77,335
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
52
20,286 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Airport Community Schools
- Airport Senior High SchoolHigh · 760 students
- Wagar Junior High SchoolMiddle · 641 students
- Loren Eyler Elementary SchoolElementary · 292 students
- Fred W Ritter Elementary SchoolElementary · 265 students
- Henry Niedermeier Elementary SchoolElementary · 242 students
- Wagar Middle SchoolMiddle · 221 students
Other schools in CARLETON
- Airport Senior High SchoolHigh · 760 students
- Wagar Junior High SchoolMiddle · 641 students
- Loren Eyler Elementary SchoolElementary · 292 students
- Wagar Middle SchoolMiddle · 221 students
- Airport Center for EducationCombined · 49 students
- Airport Middle CollegeHigh · 9 students
Nearby schools
- Airport Middle College0.1 mi · 9
- Airport Center for Education0.1 mi · 49
- Airport Senior High School0.1 mi · 760
- Wagar Junior High School0.2 mi · 641
- Wagar Middle School0.2 mi · 221
- Loren Eyler Elementary School2.1 mi · 292
Frequently asked questions
About Joseph C Sterling Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Joseph C Sterling Elementary School?
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School enrolls approximately 370 students in grades PK-04.
What grades does Joseph C Sterling Elementary School serve?
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School serves grades PK-04.
How many teachers does Joseph C Sterling Elementary School have?
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Joseph C Sterling Elementary School?
Student demographics at Joseph C Sterling Elementary School are roughly 92% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 2% Two or more.
Is Joseph C Sterling Elementary School public or private?
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Airport Community Schools.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.