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Sterling Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1407^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Sterling Elementary is a public elementary school located in Pineville, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 711 students. The school is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district, which is ranked 119 out of 242 districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite being part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district, Sterling Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in North Carolina, with rankings between 1,310 and 1,498 out of around 1,500 schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on state assessments is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, Sterling Elementary has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.2 to 17.8 students per teacher, which is higher than the nearby schools.

One of the key factors that sets Sterling Elementary apart is the extremely high percentage of students from low-income families, with 99.58% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. This is significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 17.26% to 99.64% free/reduced-lunch students. The persistently low performance and high poverty concentration at Sterling Elementary suggest that the school may be facing systemic challenges that require targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

786

Students ?

17.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,335

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9601 China Grove Church Rd
Pineville, NC 28134-9483

(980) 343-3636

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Sterling Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Quail Hollow Middle
High:	South Mecklenburg High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

73.4%

African American:

20.5%

White:

3.6%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Sterling Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (33% vs 57% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Reading scores 30 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school33%

District avg59%

North Carolina avg57%

1,407^th of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

101^st of 109Elementary Schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

119^th of 242Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools among North Carolina 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	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	10.7	1407 of 1490	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	1435 of 1505	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	1450 of 1502	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.5	1498 of 1514	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.9	1436 of 1489	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.9	1382 of 1473	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	1310 of 1434	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.1	1341 of 1429	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.5	1375 of 1425	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.8	1407 of 1440	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	5.5	1346 of 1390	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.0	1306 of 1403	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	17.1	1249 of 1388	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	58.4	642 of 1381	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	41.1	919 of 1363	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	40.8	907 of 1354	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2008	14.3	1194 of 1324	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	22.7	1112 of 1293	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.4	972 of 1276	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	426 of 918	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.4	767 of 924	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	860 of 933	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.0	852 of 927	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	625 of 949	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	555 of 927	40.1%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	392 of 563	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.8	410 of 533	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	437 of 514	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	480 of 485	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.7	348 of 385	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	23.3	447 of 497	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.4	350 of 421	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	9.1	1400 of 1451	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	1420 of 1455	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.3	1428 of 1459	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	1451 of 1458	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.1	1425 of 1440	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.8	1368 of 1424	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	1329 of 1405	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	16.1	893 of 961	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	883 of 951	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	878 of 915	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	888 of 893	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	766 of 843	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	811 of 865	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.4	764 of 851	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	3 of 11	72.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	1049 of 1437	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	1330 of 1450	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	1370 of 1437	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	1319 of 1366	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	1144 of 1329	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.1	1049 of 1361	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	994 of 1332	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	1328 of 1450	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	1371 of 1464	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.0	1399 of 1461	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.4	1440 of 1464	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.3	1318 of 1444	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.4	1301 of 1430	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	1241 of 1413	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2024	13.5	789 of 801	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2025)73rd percentile+67 vs school

African American (2025)54th percentile+48 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)30th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)27th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science41%-21 vs state

Mathematics41%-20 vs state

Reading23%-30 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sterling Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sterling Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9601 China Grove Church Rd	Pineville	28134	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3636	786	44	17.8	99.6%	28 (3.6%)	161 (20.5%)	577 (73.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.2%)	10.7	1407^th of 1490 public elementary schools	5.6%		8.6	1435^th of 1505 public elementary schools	4.7%	28	43.9	40.5	37.1				13.0	29.3	25.9				41.4		$10,335	$1,245	$9,090
Pineville Elementary	Public	K-5	204 Lowry St	Pineville	28134	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3920	742	53	13.8	99.6%	226 (30.5%)	154 (20.8%)	293 (39.5%)	22 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (6.1%)	62.7	515^th of 1490 public elementary schools	65.4%		50.2	740^th of 1505 public elementary schools	50.8%	225	74.8	55.8	56.0				51.9	60.2	58.7				70.6		$9,354	$542	$8,812
Smithfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3200 Smithfield Church Rd	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-6550	672	40	16.6	47.8%	285 (42.4%)	131 (19.5%)	196 (29.2%)	23 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.5%)	66	466^th of 1490 public elementary schools	68.7%		60.6	573^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	61.9%	107	64.4	74.7	65.2				51.0	70.1	58.2				60.4		$9,214	$516	$8,698
Huntingtowne Farms Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	2520 Huntingtowne Farms Ln	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-3625	776	50	15.5	99.6%	88 (11.3%)	125 (16.1%)	535 (68.9%)	15 (1.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	16	1338^th of 1490 public elementary schools	10.2%		17.7	1315^th of 1505 public elementary schools	12.6%	23	48.0	38.7	43.0				26.8	28.8	30.6				47.5		$9,946	$1,015	$8,931
South Academy of International Languages	Public, Magnet	K-8	8300 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5815	1,259	85	14.7	34.1%	421 (33.4%)	230 (18.3%)	418 (33.2%)	72 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	118 (9.4%)	87.7	142^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	90.5%		77.9	281^st of 1505 public elementary schools	81.3%	139	89.3	80.6	79.3	70.1	66.0	75.9	74.6	72.2	70.2	76.8	64.5	82.8	73.6	84.8	$9,365	$441	$8,925
Starmount Academy of Excellence	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Brookdale Ave	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3630	416	28	14.6	98.8%	10 (2.4%)	70 (16.8%)	331 (79.6%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	6.4	1456^th of 1490 public elementary schools	2.3%		4.3	1484^th of 1505 public elementary schools	1.4%	28	43.4	27.0	37.7				11.3	18.9	16.4				36.1		$9,766	$1,171	$8,595
Beverly Woods Elementary	Public	K-5	6001 Quail Hollow Rd	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-3627	645	44	14.5	18.9%	435 (67.4%)	70 (10.9%)	78 (12.1%)	36 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.9%)	94.2	59^th of 1490 public elementary schools	96.0%		92.5	77^th of 1505 public elementary schools	94.9%	18	83.7	83.7	86.7				77.2	81.4	82.9				89.5		$9,153	$556	$8,597
Montclaire Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5801 Farmbrook Dr	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-3635	512	38	13.4	99.4%	31 (6.1%)	48 (9.4%)	422 (82.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	23.9	1205^th of 1490 public elementary schools	19.1%		13.3	1388^th of 1505 public elementary schools	7.8%	183	43.3	53.6	55.7				20.7	36.9	36.7				50.6		$11,179	$1,203	$9,976
Movement School Southwest	Public, Charter	K-3	150 Osprey Point Dr.	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Movement School Southwest	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(704) 420-7980	284	18	15.5	96.8%	4 (1.4%)	193 (68.0%)	66 (23.2%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.7%)								(n/a)	57.1						28.6
Nations Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7050 Nations Ford Rd	Charlotte	28217	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5838	610	37	16.5	99.5%	21 (3.4%)	106 (17.4%)	472 (77.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.3%)	4.9	1472^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	1.2%		14.9	1365^th of 1505 public elementary schools	9.3%	107	38.6	30.6	29.1				16.5	18.4	22.1				24.4		$9,317	$1,154	$8,163

Frequently Asked Questions about Sterling Elementary

What district is Sterling Elementary in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What schools do graduates of Sterling Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sterling Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Quail Hollow Middle
High : South Mecklenburg High School

How many students attend Sterling Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 786 students attended Sterling Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sterling Elementary?

Students at Sterling Elementary are 73% Hispanic, 20% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races.

Is Sterling Elementary a good school?

Sterling Elementary ranks in the bottom 5.6% of North Carolina elementary schools.

Rate Sterling Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

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.