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Kotzebue, Alaska - 13 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Northwest Arctic Borough School District #15 of 40 districts in Alaska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $39,628 per pupil, Northwest Arctic Borough School District ranks #17 of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending (Alaska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,911
Total Enrollment
13
Schools
$39,628
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Northwest Arctic Borough School District operates 13 public schools serving 1,911 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Alaska. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 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 Northwest Arctic Borough.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $39,628 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 12.6% local, 69.3% state, and 18.1% 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 56/100, ranked #15 of 40 in Alaska against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 263.7:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 71.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 1.4% White, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is June Nelson Elementary, with a diversity index of 30.3/100.
Its largest campus is June Nelson Elementary, enrolling 302 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Nwabsd Home School, at 25 students, a 12x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
June Nelson Elementary accounts for 15.5% of all Northwest Arctic Borough School District student enrollment
That concentration means Northwest Arctic Borough School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Northwest Arctic Borough School District school enrollment varies 12× across entities
Northwest Arctic Borough School District school enrollment ranges from 25 students (lowest) to 302 students (highest), a spread of 277 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.
Northwest Arctic Borough School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 99.0% 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.
Northwest Arctic Borough School District student-counselor ratio is 264:1 — 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 Northwest Arctic Borough School District is typically wider than the Northwest Arctic Borough School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Northwest Arctic Borough School District chronic absenteeism rate is 71.1% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Northwest Arctic 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 Northwest Arctic Borough School District?
Northwest Arctic Borough School District has 13 schools, including 13 combined. Total enrollment is 1,911 students.
How much does Northwest Arctic Borough School District spend per student?
Northwest Arctic Borough School District spends $39,628 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #15 in Alaska.
What is the demographic composition of Northwest Arctic Borough School District?
Northwest Arctic Borough School District students are 1.4% White, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 13 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Northwest Arctic Borough School District?
Northwest Arctic Borough School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #15 out of 40 districts in Alaska.