The Sterling High School Silver Knights compete as a member school in the Colonial Conference, which is comprised of small schools whose enrollments generally do not exceed between 750 and 800 students for grades 9-12 and operates under the auspices of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 696 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Colonial Division of the 95-team West Jersey Football League superconference and was classified by the NJSIAA as Group II South for football for 2018–2020.