St. Mary Grade School
under 1 mi Grades PreK-8 171 students 13.9 students per teacher Roman Catholic Co-ed
Private schools in Sterling, IL
3 schools in Sterling itself and 2 more within 12 miles.
Sterling private schools at a glance
Sterling has 3 private schools of its own, and 2 more are within 12 miles. They are St. Mary Grade School, Newman Central Catholic High School and Christ Lutheran School. In Sterling itself: 2 Catholic and 1 other Christian; 2 teach elementary grades and 1 teaches high school. Counting the 2 nearby, there are 5 in all: 4 Catholic and 1 other Christian; 4 teach elementary grades and 1 teaches high school. All of them are co-ed. 3 report membership in a school association, most often the National Catholic Educational Association (2023-24 federal survey). The typical school has about 84 students and 8.5 students per teacher (2023-24 federal survey).
4 Catholic
8.5 students per teacher, typical
Private schools in Sterling (3)
Schools that give Sterling as their address come first, then the 2 more within 12 miles. Closest schools first in each group. No school can pay to change its place in this list or its badge.
Affiliation, co-ed or single-sex, association membership and the share of graduates going on to a 4-year college come from the 2023-24 federal Private School Universe survey.
No school in Sterling matches all of those.
Newman Central Catholic High School
under 1 mi Grades 9-12 182 students 14.4 students per teacher Roman Catholic Co-ed 89% to 4-year college
Grades PreK-7 23 students 4.1 students per teacher Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) Co-ed
Nearby, within 12 miles (2)
Schools in other towns within 12 miles of downtown Sterling.
No nearby school matches all of those.
Grades PreK-8 84 students 8.5 students per teacher Roman Catholic Co-ed
St. Anne School
12 mi Grades PreK-5 52 students 6.1 students per teacher Roman Catholic Co-ed
Private schools
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Paying for private school in Illinois
No state program pays private school tuition. What Illinois families can use instead.
Get one email when applications open
Most programs open once a year, and several ran out of money or seats in 2026. Pick your state (you are looking at Sterling) and we will email you the day the next window opens, with the official link. That is the only email you get.
One email per application window. No calls, no sharing your details.
Questions parents ask
How many private schools are there in Sterling?
3 private schools give Sterling as their address: St. Mary Grade School, Newman Central Catholic High School and Christ Lutheran School. Counting nearby towns, we list 5: 3 in Sterling and 2 within 12 miles of downtown. Together they enrolled about 512 students in the last federal survey (2023-24). The largest in Sterling is Newman Central Catholic High School with 182 students.
Does Illinois pay for private school?
No state program pays private school tuition. No Illinois program pays private school tuition. Invest in Kids, the state’s tax-credit scholarship, ended: donations made after December 31, 2023 earn no credit. Families can claim the Education Expense Credit, 25% of tuition, book rental and lab fees above the first $250, up to $750 per family a year. It is not refundable and is not allowed above $500,000 of adjusted gross income on a joint return ($250,000 for other filers).