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Best High Schools in Zip Code 40353

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At a glance

Schools

1,426

Students

Districts

Top rankedMontgomery County High School143^rd of 262 Kentucky high schools

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Summary:

Three high schools in ZIP code 40353 serve grades 5–12: Montgomery County High School (9–12), The Sterling School (6–12), and Gateway Children’s Services (5–12). Together they enroll 1,426 students, and 94% attend Montgomery County High School. The clearest shared concern is chronic absenteeism: the reported rates are 45% at Montgomery County and 46% at The Sterling School, compared with 24% statewide.

Montgomery County High School stands out for having the broadest reported test results and stronger graduation figures than the supplied benchmarks. In 2025–2026, it was 6 percentage points above the state in reading and 3 points above in social studies, but 8 points below in writing and 7 below in mathematics; its six-subject average was 37%, compared with 39% statewide. Its graduation rate was 96%, versus 94% for the state and 92% for the district. The Sterling School has a notably low SchoolDigger ranking: the 5th percentile in 2023–2024. Two schools’ current test results are suppressed, so a ZIP-wide proficiency ranking cannot be established; Gateway also has no reported 2025–2026 absenteeism figure.

Results and rankings show different patterns over time. At Montgomery County, reading rose 6 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while science fell 7 points and mathematics and editing and mechanics each fell 5; SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking also declined from 69th in 2023–2024 to 45th in 2025–2026, with comparison pools changing between years. For context, 2024–2025 student-teacher ratios were 18.9 at Montgomery County, 17.0 at The Sterling School, and 13.6 at Gateway. The schools’ 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 51%, 83%, and 18%, respectively—differences in school context, not explanations for their results.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KSA Mathematics (2026)			KSA Reading (2026)			KSA Science (2026)		KSA Writing (2026)		KSA Social Studies (2026)		KSA Editing and Mechanics (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 8th 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	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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)
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%)	44.6	143^rd of 262 public high schools	45.4%		50.9	120^th of 254 public high schools	52.8%	23			33.0			55.0		19.0		39.0		40.0		38.0	$14,615	$1,265	$11,542
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)															$15,249	$2,079	$11,248
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)															$10,227	$558	$7,747

Cities Near Zip Code 40353

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Mount Sterling	0.42 mi	9	173^rd
Owingsville	10.2 mi	5	212^th
North Middletown	11.4 mi	1	316^th
Winchester	13.2 mi	11	241^st
Clay City	13.46 mi	1	303^rd

See the top KY Kentucky cities

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.