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Joseph C Sterling Elementary School

Q: Is Joseph C Sterling Elementary School a good school?

Joseph C Sterling Elementary School ranks 315 th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Magnet Grades PK, KG-4

315^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,488 Michigan Elementary Schools

Better than 79% of Michigan elementary schools

Summary

Joseph C Sterling Elementary School is a high-performing public magnet elementary school serving 364 students in grades PK-4 in Carleton, Michigan. The school is part of the Airport Community Schools district, which is ranked 270 out of 613 districts in the state.

Joseph C Sterling Elementary School consistently outperforms both the district and the state of Michigan in standardized test scores. In the 2024-2025 school year, 57.7% of 3rd graders and 50.6% of 4th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 42.4% and 42.3% for the district, and 38.9% and 42.4% for the state. Similarly, in math, 60.6% of 3rd graders and 51.9% of 4th graders were proficient or better, compared to 51.7% and 48.1% for the district, and 42.7% and 39.4% for the state. The school has a strong statewide ranking, consistently placing in the top 20% of Michigan elementary schools, and has earned a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Fred W Ritter Elementary School and Henry Niedermeier Elementary School, both in the same district, have significantly lower test scores and statewide rankings, Joseph C Sterling Elementary School has been able to maintain exceptional academic performance despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This suggests the school is effectively supporting and addressing the needs of its economically disadvantaged students.

370

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,827

Per pupil spending ?

45.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

160 Fessner Rd
Carleton, MI 48117-9395

(734) 654-6846

District: Airport Community Schools

Students who attend Joseph C Sterling Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Wagar Junior High School
High:	Airport Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.6%

Hispanic:

4.3%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated Michigan elementary schools

Compare Joseph C Sterling Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Michigan average (55% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Michigan elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Airport Community Schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg46%

Michigan avg41%

315^th of 1,488

Michigan public elementary schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Airport Community Schools

270^th of 613Airport Community Schools among Michigan 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	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	76.6	315 of 1488	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	284 of 1486	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	86.4	161 of 1470	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	87.9	123 of 1344	90.8%	★★★★★
2021	79.8	186 of 1153	83.9%	★★★★☆
2019	53.6	613 of 1408	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.4	657 of 1448	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.5	779 of 1466	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	75.0	325 of 1548	79.0%	★★★★☆
2015	74.7	364 of 1580	77.0%	★★★★☆
2014	75.5	332 of 1533	78.3%	★★★★☆
2013	53.7	768 of 1563	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.3	747 of 1566	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	57.1	854 of 1552	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.8	693 of 1552	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.3	463 of 1589	70.9%	★★★★☆
2008	61.5	729 of 1577	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	46.5	1068 of 1565	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.8	845 of 1545	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	335 of 1338	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.1	263 of 1342	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	92.0	59 of 1321	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	25 of 1106	97.7%	★★★★★
2021	78.0	144 of 902	84.0%	★★★★☆
2019	39.9	715 of 1171	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.7	688 of 1443	52.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	73.5	249 of 1346	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	59.6	474 of 1381	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	84.1	114 of 1350	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	74.4	172 of 1099	84.3%	★★★★☆
2019	41.8	674 of 1134	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.9	691 of 1397	50.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	76.7	285 of 1366	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	268 of 1347	80.1%	★★★★☆
2023	70.9	333 of 1334	75.0%	★★★★☆
2022	75.7	232 of 1139	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	74.8	180 of 915	80.3%	★★★★☆
2019	56.0	494 of 1196	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.0	601 of 1446	58.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2025	65.9	387 of 1206	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	76.0	248 of 1204	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	217 of 1198	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	149 of 1102	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	75.3	197 of 1005	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	39.1	699 of 1128	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.5	702 of 1253	44.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)82nd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile~ school

Female (2025)75th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)68th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?

Math56%+15 vs state

English Language Arts54%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Joseph C Sterling Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT English Language Arts (2025)	PSAT Mathematics (2025)	M-Step English Language Arts (2025)					M-Step Math (2025)					M-Step Science (2025)		M-Step Social Studies (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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 3rd Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 4th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 3rd Grade	M-Step Math 4th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Joseph C Sterling Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-4	160 Fessner Rd	Carleton	48117	Monroe County	Airport Community Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(734) 654-6846	370	22	16.7	45.9%	339 (91.6%)	5 (1.4%)	16 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	76.6	315^th of 1488 public elementary schools	78.8%		77.9	284^th of 1486 public elementary schools	80.9%	31			57.7	50.6				60.6	51.9								$12,827	$1,283	$11,544
Loren Eyler Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1335 Carleton Rockwood Rd	Carleton	48117	Monroe County	Airport Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 654-2121	292	16	18.2	51.7%	235 (80.5%)	9 (3.1%)	26 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.8%)	70.4	405^th of 1488 public elementary schools	72.8%		78.4	278^th of 1486 public elementary schools	81.3%	127			42.9	50.9				55.4	56.4								$14,694	$1,354	$13,341
Henry Niedermeier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	8400 Newport South Rd	Newport	48166	Monroe County	Airport Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(734) 654-4141	242	15	16.2	58.3%	211 (87.2%)	7 (2.9%)	13 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.5%)	55.7	637^th of 1488 public elementary schools	57.2%		53.9	651^st of 1486 public elementary schools	56.2%	14			41.5	25.5				56.6	50.9								$13,222	$619	$12,604
Fred W Ritter Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	5650 Carleton Rockwood Rd	South Rockwood	48179	Monroe County	Airport Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 379-5335	265	16	16.4	69.4%	228 (86.0%)	4 (1.5%)	19 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.3%)	32.4	976^th of 1488 public elementary schools	34.4%		29	1033^rd of 1486 public elementary schools	30.5%	57			24.1	38.5				32.8	30.8								$14,542	$1,263	$13,279
North Elementary School	Public	2-5	8281 N Dixie Hwy	Newport	48166	Monroe County	Jefferson Schools (Monroe)	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 322-2451	366	22	16.6	56.3%	316 (86.3%)	3 (0.8%)	21 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.6%)	24.2	1093^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	26.5%		36	919^th of 1486 public elementary schools	38.2%	174			19.1	22.7	28.6			30.3	28.1	23.8			31.0		17.9		$14,854	$1,615	$13,239
Alice I Ferguson Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	24678 Merriman Rd	New Boston	48164	Wayne County	Huron School District	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 984-1330	180	10	17.4	41.7%	151 (83.9%)	6 (3.3%)	14 (7.8%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)								(n/a)																	$15,112	$1,341	$13,771
Brown Elementary School	Public	1-5	25485 Middlebelt Rd	New Boston	48164	Wayne County	Huron School District	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 782-2716	434	29	14.7	29.7%	368 (84.8%)	12 (2.8%)	32 (7.4%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.1%)	58.1	591^st of 1488 public elementary schools	60.3%		59	567^th of 1486 public elementary schools	61.8%	24			39.5	41.6	53.1			34.1	39.0	50.0			43.8		36.5		$15,914	$1,246	$14,668
Raisinville School	Public	PK, KG-6	2300 N Raisinville Rd	Monroe	48162	Monroe County	Monroe Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(734) 265-4800	443	24	18.3	54.4%	365 (82.4%)	29 (6.5%)	9 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.0%)	40	863^rd of 1488 public elementary schools	42.0%		28.9	1037^th of 1486 public elementary schools	30.2%	174			32.9	36.9	41.0	27.7		28.8	33.8	31.1	23.4		37.7		32.8		$16,090	$1,604	$14,485
Triumph Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	3000 Vivian Rd	Monroe	48162	Monroe County	Triumph Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(734) 240-2610	777	36	21.5	61.3%	525 (67.6%)	31 (4.0%)	101 (13.0%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	114 (14.7%)	61.5	544^th of 1488 public elementary schools	63.4%		63	513^th of 1486 public elementary schools	65.5%	31	74.6	44.8	50.0	47.5	48.2	56.0	53.8	43.3	40.0	25.9	53.6	47.5	43.5	56.7	29.4	64.2	$12,395	$1,519	$10,876
Huron AI Center FRCS Bobcean Program	Public	PK, KG-2	28300 Evergreen St	Flat Rock	48134	Wayne County	Huron School District	No	No	No	No	(734) 379-6360	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																	$43,778	$3,830	$39,948

Frequently Asked Questions about Joseph C Sterling Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Joseph C Sterling Elementary School?

Students at Joseph C Sterling Elementary School are 92% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Joseph C Sterling Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 370 students attended Joseph C Sterling Elementary School.

Is Joseph C Sterling Elementary School a good school?

Joseph C Sterling Elementary School ranks 315^th of 1488 Michigan elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Joseph C Sterling Elementary School in?

Airport Community Schools

What schools do graduates of Joseph C Sterling Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Joseph C Sterling Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wagar Junior High School
High : Airport Senior High School

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Schools in Carleton, MI

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