Sterling’s public schools beat 91% of Virginia districts
The public schools Sterling’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 91% of Virginia’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
What Sterling’s schools are like
Well funded, with small classes
Sterling spends about $21,200 per student, 24% more than the state average, and each teacher has about 10 students, compared with 14 statewide. Test scores ↓
Which school depends on your street
With five elementary schools, the school a child attends depends on your address. Elementary grades range from D to C, so it’s worth checking the specific school, not just the town. After that, everyone goes to Sterling Middle and Park View High. See the path ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Test scores are from 2020–21, a pandemic year, so treat small gaps with caution.
How Sterling compares
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Virginia’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of Virginia only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Sterling.
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
How students score
Every school in Sterling
8 schools. Grades are based on state tests and graduation. Any other ratings are made by neighbors.
Parents talk
What Sterling families are saying about school.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Colleges near Sterling
There’s no college in Sterling, but 40 are within 30 miles. The closest is Divine Mercy University in Sterling, 2.4 miles away.
Straight-line distance from the center of Sterling. Degree-granting colleges with students on campus · College Scorecard · IPEDS. 30 more within 30 miles.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within Virginia. Stars are from neighbors.