Bering Strait School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Unalakleet, Alaska - 15 schools

An equity score of 81/100 ranks Bering Strait School District #6 of 40 districts in Alaska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $41,210 per pupil, Bering Strait School District ranks #12 of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending (Alaska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,830
Total Enrollment
15
Schools
$41,210
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Bering Strait School District operates 15 public schools serving 1,830 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alaska. The school portfolio breaks down into 15 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Nome Census Area.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $41,210 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alaska compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 6.0% local, 52.2% state, and 41.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 81/100, ranked #6 of 40 in Alaska against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 231.6:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 53.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 1.5% Asian, 1.4% White, 0.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Martin L. Olson School, with a diversity index of 31.3/100.

Its largest campus is Tukurngailnguq School, enrolling 239 students (14% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Diomede School, at 22 students, a 11x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Bering Strait School District school enrollment varies 11× across entities

Bering Strait School District school enrollment ranges from 22 students (lowest) to 239 students (highest), a spread of 217 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Bering Strait School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 97.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Bering Strait School District student-counselor ratio is 232:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Bering Strait School District chronic absenteeism rate is 53.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

41.8%
Federal
52.2%
State
6.0%
Local

Funding Equity

81
Equity Score
6 / 40
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 15 schools in Bering Strait School District.

White 1.4%
Asian 1.5%
Multiracial 0.6%
Other 96.0%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 7.5/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Bering Strait School District's schools, below the Alaska average of 43.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Martin L. Olson School 31.3
  2. 2 Unalakleet School 23.2
  3. 3 Anthony a. Andrews School 10.3
  4. 4 Gambell School 8.6
  5. 5 Shaktoolik School 8.6

Programs & Resources

231.6:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
53.4%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Bering Strait School District

School Enrollment
Tukurngailnguq School
239
Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial School
236
Shishmaref School
185
Unalakleet School
173
Brevig Mission School
163
Gambell School
154
Anthony a. Andrews School
112
Koyuk-Malimiut School
101
Aniguiin School
90
James C. Isabell School
67
Shaktoolik School
67
White Mountain School
66
Martin L. Olson School
39
Wales School
31
Diomede School
22

How Bering Strait School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Alaska districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Nenana City School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Northwest Arctic Borough School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Lower Yukon School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
North Slope Borough School District Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Bering Strait School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Alaska

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Compare Bering Strait School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Anchorage School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Bering Strait School District?

Bering Strait School District has 15 schools, including 15 combined. Total enrollment is 1,830 students.

How much does Bering Strait School District spend per student?

Bering Strait School District spends $41,210 per student. The district has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #6 in Alaska.

What is the demographic composition of Bering Strait School District?

Bering Strait School District students are 1.5% Asian, 1.4% White, 0.5% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 15 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Bering Strait School District?

Bering Strait School District has an equity score of 81/100, ranking #6 out of 40 districts in Alaska.