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What do you wish you knew before starting at STERLING H S?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,146
High
DISTRICT 995 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HOUSTON ISD·NCES 482364002592
Sterling High School
11625 MARTINDALE RD, HOUSTON, TX 77048 · (713) 991-0510 · Harris County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,146 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 29% of Texas public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public high schools
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
87 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.0:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
1,074 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 65%
Community
1
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 | 350 | 31% |
| Grade 10 | 252 | 22% |
| Grade 11 | 240 | 21% |
| Grade 12 | 304 | 27% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · STATE 63% · 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 published attendance-zone data from HOUSTON ISD. Zones change; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
42.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +24.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
42.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +30.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 42 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 24 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 30 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 3.0% | 39.0% | 24.0% | 34.0% |
| Mathematics | 20.0% | 22.0% | 39.0% | 19.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 42.0% | 42.0% |
| 2024-25 | 38.0% | 38.0% |
| 2023-24 | 35.0% | 15.0% |
| 2022-23 | 17.0% | 16.0% |
| 2021-22 | 22.0% | 12.0% |
| 2020-21 | 18.0% | 12.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. 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
37.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.7%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 34% typical for Texas 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 Texas'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 (37.5% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling High School this school | 1,146 | 93.7% | 37.5% |
| David W Carter High School DALLAS | 1,097 | 91.2% | 35.6% |
| Dunbar High School FORT WORTH | 821 | 92.6% | 24.7% |
| South Oak Cliff High School DALLAS | 1,560 | 97.9% | 47.6% |
| North Forest High School HOUSTON | 905 | 96.2% | 38.2% |
| La Marque High School LA MARQUE | 737 | 88.5% | 30.6% |
Matched among Texas 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 Texas | In Harris County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.5% | #1,205 of 1,385 | #130 of 150 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #752 of 1,425 ▲ 13 | #114 of 155 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #1,196 of 1,425 ▼ 7 | #126 of 155 ▼ 8 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +25.5pp | #248 of 1,184 | #35 of 151 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,146 | #540 of 2,107 | #79 of 223 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.2:1 | #428 of 1,344 | #17 of 157 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.1% | #614 of 1,346 | #68 of 157 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 93.7% | #99 of 1,522 | #28 of 175 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -17.2% | #137 of 557 | #18 of 75 |
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
1,146
-498 (-30%) vs 2020
-23% since 1990-91, when it was 1,486
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
was 18.7:1
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 | 1,146 | 87.1 | 13.2:1 | 94% (1,074) |
| 2023-24 | 1,341 | 104.5 | 12.8:1 | 91% (1,222) |
| 2022-23 | 1,421 | 88.4 | 16.1:1 | 92% (1,310) |
| 2020-21 | 1,644 | 88 | 18.7:1 | 92% (1,510) |
| 2017-18 | 1,384 | 71.4 | 19.4:1 | 80% (1,107) |
| 2015-16 | 1,138 | 62 | 18.4:1 | 69% (781) |
| 2010-11 | 1,090 | 67 | 16.3:1 | 40% (436) |
| 2000-01 | 1,274 | 66 | 19.3:1 | 47% (600) |
| 1990-91 | 1,486 | 75 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Sterling High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 17% (1,384 to 1,146); teachers up 22% (71.4 to 87.1).
About Sterling High School
This page covers Sterling High School, a mid-sized high school in HOUSTON, Texas. Its grade span covers grades 9 through 12, with 1,146 students on the rolls. On average, high schools in Texas enroll around 796, and this school is 44% above that mark.
Sterling High School is one school in HOUSTON ISD, a system of 273 schools with 176,727 students.
Black students are 55% of those enrolled at Sterling High School. Other reported shares: 42% Hispanic. That compares with about 19% Black among all Harris County residents. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 52%.
There are 87.1 full-time-equivalent teachers at Sterling High School, giving a ratio of 13.2:1. The school's 13.2:1 compares with an average of 15.1:1 for high schools in Texas. By family income, 94% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 70% average for public schools in Harris County is 24 points.
Sterling High School earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 29% of Texas public high schools.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Sterling High School is +3.8 points: 37.5% actual, 33.7% predicted.
For Harris County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $74,983 a year, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Harris County number 1,205, with about 886,911 students.
Thomas Middle School is about 0.7 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Ranked by average proficiency, Sterling High School places 1st out of 9 schools in its immediate area.
By NCES locale, the school is City: Large, or inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school shrank from 1,644 students in 2020-21 to 1,146 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 18.7:1; by 2024-25 it was 13.2:1.
The allk12 page for Sterling High School lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.
Harris County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
4,838,303
Census ACS
Median income
$74,983
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,205
886,911 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in HOUSTON ISD
- Texas Connections Academy at HoustonCombined · 8,641 students
- Bellaire High SchoolHigh · 3,216 students
- Lamar High SchoolHigh · 2,968 students
- Westside High SchoolHigh · 2,729 students
- Heights High SchoolHigh · 2,426 students
- Houston Math Science and Technology CenterHigh · 2,396 students
Other schools in HOUSTON
- Texas Connections Academy at HoustonCombined · 8,641 students
- North Shore Senior HighHigh · 4,284 students
- Elsik High SchoolHigh · 4,057 students
- Summer Creek High SchoolHigh · 3,972 students
- Hastings High SchoolHigh · 3,786 students
- C E King High SchoolHigh · 3,716 students
Other Sterling High schools
6 other US public schools in 6 states are named Sterling High. Sterling High School is the 2nd largest of the 7.
- Sterling High SchoolBAYTOWN, TX · 2,150 students
- Sterling High SchoolSterling, IL · 999 students
- Sterling High SchoolSomerdale, NJ · 839 students
- Sterling High SchoolSTERLING, CO · 421 students
- Sterling High SchoolSterling, OK · 99 students
Nearby schools
- Thomas Middle School0.7 mi · 391
- Iltexas Houston Orem Elementary School1.0 mi · 837
- Iltexas Houston Orem Middle School1.0 mi · 410
- Frost Elementary School1.4 mi · 402
- Codwell Elementary School1.5 mi · 342
- Mading Elementary School1.7 mi · 298
Frequently asked questions
About Sterling High SchoolHow large is Sterling High School?
Sterling High School enrolls approximately 1,146 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Sterling High School serve?
Sterling High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Sterling High School have?
Sterling High School employs 87 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.2:1.
What is the student diversity at Sterling High School?
Student demographics at Sterling High School are roughly 1% White, 42% Hispanic, 55% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Sterling High School in?
Sterling High School is part of HOUSTON ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.