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The Sterling School

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

The Sterling School is a small public high school serving grades 6-12 in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, part of the Montgomery County School District. With just 47 students, this school has consistently struggled academically, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of Kentucky high schools.

The Sterling School's academic performance is significantly below the county and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 10% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in ACT English and Reading, compared to 38-44% at the county and state levels. In Math, 0% of 11th-graders were proficient, compared to 25-30% at the county and state levels. The school's high poverty rates, with 78.72% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, may be a contributing factor to these poor outcomes.

Compared to the nearby Montgomery County High School, which is ranked 90 out of 290 Kentucky high schools, The Sterling School's performance is significantly worse. The Sterling School's ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, suggesting that the school's academic challenges are not improving. With its small size and high-poverty student population, The Sterling School faces significant hurdles in providing a quality education to its students.

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

82.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

724 Woodford Drive
Mount Sterling, KY 40353

(859) 497-8761

District: Montgomery County

Racial breakdown:

White:

92.2%

Hispanic:

6.3%

Two or more races:

1.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2024

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (7% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Kentucky average (76% vs 92%)

!High chronic absenteeism (53% vs 25% Kentucky)

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school7%

District avg35%

Kentucky avg39%

Not ranked this year

The Sterling School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

57^th of 157Montgomery County among Kentucky districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	5.0	276 of 290	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	230 of 285	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	237 of 271	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	4.4	265 of 287	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.4	278 of 288	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.2	259 of 295	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2024	5.1	265 of 274	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	5.1	212 of 226	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2019)6th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Kentucky (2023-2024) ?

English10%-34 vs state

Reading10%-32 vs state

Mathematics0%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near The Sterling School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)			KSA Reading (2025)			KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
The Sterling School	Public	6-12	724 Woodford Drive	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-8761	64	4	17.0	82.8%	59 (92.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.6%)								(n/a)
Montgomery County High School	Public	9-12	724 Woodford Drive	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-8765	1,345	71	18.9	51.4%	1,164 (86.5%)	24 (1.8%)	106 (7.9%)	8 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (3.0%)	50.9	120^th of 254 public high schools	52.8%		63.7	90^th of 290 public high schools	69.0%	30			38.0			49.0	26.0	38.0		38.0		43.0	$13,893	$961	$822	$1,783	$7,408	$3,039	$10,464
Montgomery County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	682 Woodford St	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(859) 498-1103	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Gateway Children's Services	Public	5-12	37 North Maysville	Mount Sterling	40353	Montgomery County	Montgomery County	No	No	No	No	(859) 497-6428	17	1	13.6	17.6%	13 (76.5%)	2 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.8%)								(n/a)
Bath County High School	Public	9-12	645 Chenault Dr	Owingsville	40360	Bath County	Bath County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 674-6325	604	39	15.4	73.2%	549 (90.9%)	8 (1.3%)	32 (5.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.3%)	50.5	121^st of 254 public high schools	52.4%		51.4	132^nd of 290 public high schools	54.5%	11			41.0			48.0	21.0	36.0		43.0		44.0	$31,228	$770	$450	$1,221	$8,675	$2,897	$11,572
Second Chance Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	335 West Main Street	Owingsville	40360	Bath County	Bath County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 674-8165	9	2	4.5	77.8%	7 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)								(n/a)
Powell County Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	642 Rose Way	Stanton	40380	Powell County	Powell County	No	No	Yes	No	(606) 663-3505	55	2	27.5	78.2%	53 (96.4%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										21.0
Powell County High School	Public	9-12	700 W College Ave	Stanton	40380	Powell County	Powell County	No	No	No	No	(606) 663-3320	580	38	15.1	61.6%	559 (96.4%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.2%)	30.6	189^th of 254 public high schools	25.6%		20.4	227^th of 290 public high schools	21.7%	38			22.0			27.0	14.0	40.0		39.0		42.0	$16,154	$529	$444	$1,820	$10,123	$4,045	$13,322
Cardinal Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	6-12	650 Boone Avenue	Winchester	40391	Clark County	Clark County	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(859) 744-4545	212	1	212.0	60.4%	187 (88.2%)	5 (2.4%)	14 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.4%)	12.6	227^th of 254 public high schools	10.6%					(n/a)	33.0	18.0	13.0	57.0	32.0	18.0			32.0	27.0	39.0	29.0
George Rogers Clark High School	Public	9-12	2745 New Boonesboro Road	Winchester	40391	Clark County	Clark County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 744-6111	1,578	88	18.0	53.4%	1,228 (77.8%)	103 (6.5%)	158 (10.0%)	12 (0.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	73 (4.6%)	54.8	107^th of 254 public high schools	57.9%		41.6	168^th of 290 public high schools	42.1%	61			43.0			47.0	23.0	46.0		44.0		40.0	$15,478	$1,290	$406	$1,696	$9,062	$3,410	$12,465

Frequently Asked Questions about The Sterling School

What is the racial makeup of The Sterling School?

Students at The Sterling School are 92% White, 6% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What district is The Sterling School in?

Montgomery County

How many students attend The Sterling School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 64 students attended The Sterling School.

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Schools in Mount Sterling, KY

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.