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Fairbanks, Alaska - 33 schools
An equity score of 26/100 ranks Fairbanks North Star Borough School District #33 of 40 districts in Alaska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,816 per pupil, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District ranks #45 of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending (Alaska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,703
Total Enrollment
33
Schools
$18,816
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District operates 33 public schools serving 12,703 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Alaska. The school portfolio breaks down into 20 combined, 5 elementary, 4 high, 4 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,816 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alaska compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 22.1% local, 58.3% state, and 19.7% 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 26/100, ranked #33 of 40 in Alaska against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 33 schools offering Advanced Placement (69 AP courses district-wide), a 328.3:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 54.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.3% White, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 2.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hunter Elementary, with a diversity index of 79.1/100.
Its largest campus is Lathrop High School, enrolling 788 students (7% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Golden Heart Academy, at 13 students, a 61x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District school enrollment varies 61× across entities
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District school enrollment ranges from 13 students (lowest) to 788 students (highest), a spread of 775 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District student-counselor ratio is 328:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is typically wider than the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District chronic absenteeism rate is 54.0% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Fairbanks North Star Borough 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.
How many schools are in Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District has 33 schools, including 4 high, 20 combined, 4 middle, 5 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,703 students.
How much does Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spend per student?
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spends $18,816 per student. The district has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #33 in Alaska.
What is the demographic composition of Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District students are 53.3% White, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 2.8% African American, 1.8% Asian, averaged across 33 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District has an equity score of 26/100, ranking #33 out of 40 districts in Alaska.