Ketchikan Gateway Borough 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.

Ketchikan, Alaska - 9 schools

An equity score of 33/100 ranks Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District #31 of 40 districts in Alaska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $23,355 per pupil, Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District ranks #39 of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending (Alaska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

2,074
Total Enrollment
9
Schools
$23,355
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District operates 9 public schools serving 2,074 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alaska. The school portfolio breaks down into 6 combined, 1 high, 1 middle, 1 elementary 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $23,355 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 21.5% local, 63.2% state, and 15.3% 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 33/100, ranked #31 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 2 of 9 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 214.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 69.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.1% White, 5.9% Asian, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Houghtaling Elementary, with a diversity index of 68.4/100.

Its largest campus is Ketchikan High School, enrolling 551 students (27% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Fast Track, at 76 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Ketchikan High School accounts for 26.6% of all Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District student enrollment

That concentration means Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

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

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District school enrollment varies 7.3× across entities

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District school enrollment ranges from 76 students (lowest) to 551 students (highest), a spread of 475 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. 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

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District student-counselor ratio is 215:1 — 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

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District chronic absenteeism rate is 69.1% — 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?

15.3%
Federal
63.2%
State
21.5%
Local

Funding Equity

33
Equity Score
31 / 40
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 9 schools in Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District.

White 53.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.6%
African American 1.1%
Asian 5.9%
Multiracial 7.7%
Other 30.5%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 60.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District's schools, above the Alaska average of 43.0.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Houghtaling Elementary 68.4
  2. 2 Ketchikan Charter School 67.4
  3. 3 Ketchikan High School 62.8
  4. 4 Schoenbar Middle School 62.4
  5. 5 Fawn Mountain Elementary 59.6

Programs & Resources

2 / 9
Schools with AP
4 AP courses total
214.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
69.1%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District

School Enrollment
Ketchikan High School
551
Houghtaling Elementary
310
Schoenbar Middle School
252
Fawn Mountain Elementary
210
Point Higgins School
204
Ketchikan Charter School
Charter
190
Tongass School of Arts and Sciences Charter School
Charter
140
Revilla Jr/Sr High School
110
Fast Track
76

How Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Alaska districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
North Slope Borough School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Lower Yukon School District Similar size Higher spending Less locally funded
Kodiak Island Borough School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Northwest Arctic Borough School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Nenana City School District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Ketchikan Gateway 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.

Compare Ketchikan Gateway Borough 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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District?

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District has 9 schools, including 1 high, 6 combined, 1 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,074 students.

How much does Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District spend per student?

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District spends $23,355 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #31 in Alaska.

What is the demographic composition of Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District?

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District students are 53.1% White, 5.9% Asian, 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.1% African American, averaged across 9 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District?

Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #31 out of 40 districts in Alaska.