Saint Mary's 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.

Saint Mary's, Alaska - 1 schools

An equity score of 56/100 ranks Saint Mary's School District #16 of 40 districts in Alaska (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $36,767 per pupil, Saint Mary's School District ranks #23 of 54 Alaska districts by per-pupil spending (Alaska districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

203
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$36,767
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Saint Mary's School District operates 1 public schools serving 203 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alaska. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Kusilvak Census Area.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $36,767 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 3.5% local, 65.5% state, and 31.0% 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 #16 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 178:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 52.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages across the district's schools.

Its largest campus is Saint Mary's School, enrolling 178 students (100% of the district's total enrollment).

Saint Mary's School accounts for 87.7% of all Saint Mary's School District student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Saint Mary's School District a distant remainder — means Saint Mary's 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.

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

Saint Mary's School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% 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

Saint Mary's School District student-counselor ratio is 178:1 — 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

Saint Mary's School District chronic absenteeism rate is 52.2% — 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?

31.0%
Federal
65.5%
State
3.5%
Local

Funding Equity

56
Equity Score
16 / 40
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 1 schools in Saint Mary's School District.

Multiracial 5.6%
Other 94.4%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

178:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
52.2%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Saint Mary's School District

School Enrollment
Saint Mary's School
178

How Saint Mary's School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Alaska districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Yukon Flats School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Aleutians East Borough School District Similar size Higher spending More locally funded
Southeast Island School District Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Skagway School District Smaller Lower spending More locally funded
Chatham School District Smaller Similar spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Saint Mary's 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 Saint Mary's 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 Saint Mary's School District?

Saint Mary's School District has 1 school, including 1 combined. Total enrollment is 203 students.

How much does Saint Mary's School District spend per student?

Saint Mary's School District spends $36,767 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #16 in Alaska.

What is the equity score for Saint Mary's School District?

Saint Mary's School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #16 out of 40 districts in Alaska.