Summary:
Zip code 80751 is served by a single high school, Sterling High School in School District No. Re-1 Valley; this mid-sized rural school in northeastern Colorado serves grades 9 through 12 with 421 students and a student-teacher ratio of 15.5:1.
For parents, the most encouraging news is that Sterling High School posts a stellar graduation rate of 93.8% (well above the state's 85.6%) and a dropout rate of just 0.8% (half the state average). However, there are real academic challenges behind those positive outcomes. The school only earns a 1-star rating and has fallen from the 56th percentile in statewide rankings (2022-23) down to the 17th-25th percentile in the most recent years. Reading and Writing proficiency sits at 52%—14 points below the state—while math is the weakest subject, with just 27% of 9th graders proficient in 2025-26. Although that math score marks a big improvement from 16% the prior year, nearly three-quarters of students still do not meet proficiency standards. Chronic absenteeism is also a hidden risk, affecting 27.3% of students (higher than the district's 22.9%), and about 44% of the student body qualifies for free/reduced lunch.
The picture that emerges is a school that clearly supports students well enough to get them across the graduation stage but struggles to move the needle on standardized achievement. The most promising takeaway is the momentum in math improvement, but Reading growth appears flat, and the rating decline suggests the school is not keeping pace with peers statewide. Parents considering this school should weigh the standout graduation and dropout metrics against the below-average proficiency rates and chronic absenteeism. In short, Sterling High School is a community school with strong completion outcomes but clear opportunities for academic growth, especially in math.
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