Enrollment
268
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Palmer, AK
Academy Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Academy Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 020051000311Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Academy Charter School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Palmer · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 268
- students enrolled
Academy Charter School has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Academy Charter School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Palmer, AK.
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020051000311 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Academy Charter School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Academy Charter School
Academy Charter School is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Palmer, Alaska, enrolling 268 students.
At 14.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alaska median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Enrollment of 268 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Its student body is led by White (76%) and Two or More (11%) (diversity index 41/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Palmer's elementary schools, it stands alongside Birchtree Charter School (416 students): Academy Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.9:1 vs 17.3:1).
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Academy Charter School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Academy Charter School compares
Academy Charter School on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
268
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 55% in Alaska - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,171
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 75.7%
Two or More 10.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.2%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 75.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.7, Academy Charter School is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Academy Charter School.
$16,171
Per student
-51%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 62.7%
Federal 14.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Academy Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mat-Su Central School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Colony High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wasilla High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colony Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Academy Charter School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar elementary schools in Palmer
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alaska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~268 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Academy Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Academy Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Academy Charter School
How many students attend Academy Charter School?
Academy Charter School has 268 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Palmer, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Academy Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Academy Charter School is 14.9:1, which is 2% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Academy Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Academy Charter School is White at 75.7% of enrollment, in Palmer, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Academy Charter School?
Academy Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Academy Charter School rank among elementary schools in Palmer?
By Resource Investment Index, Academy Charter School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Palmer, AK. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Palmer on the city page.
Is Academy Charter School a good school?
Academy Charter School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District?
Besides Academy Charter School, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students), Colony High School (1,046 students), and Wasilla High School (816 students). See the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.