Enrollment
138
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 020061000291
Alak School — Wainwright, AK
Federal NCES profile for Alak School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: North Slope Borough School District · Alaska
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.8%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alak School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Alak School reports 138 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% below the Alaska average and 54% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 138 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 87.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding North Slope Borough School District spends $40,367 per pupil district-wide, above the Alaska average of $36,093 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.3% from local sources (property taxes), 29.6% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alak School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alaska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.8% | ▼ 61% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 138 | top 43% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
23.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.7:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 80% in Alaska — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
87.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$40,367
per pupil, district-wide
— above Alaska avg of $36,093
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 138 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 138 Top 43% in Alaska — larger than 57% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 18.7:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.8% -61% vs state
NCES ID 020061000291
Student demographics
American Indian / Alaska Native 97.1%
Two or More 2.9%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 97.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 138:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 87.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for North Slope Borough School District, which includes Alak School.
$40,367
Per student
+12%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
+107%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.3%
State 29.6%
Federal 16.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 494
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 230
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Enrollment
- 214
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 143
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Alak School
How many students attend Alak School?
Alak School has 138 students enrolled. It is a other school in Wainwright, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alak School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alak School is 18.7:1, which is 7% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alak School?
23.8% of students at Alak School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alak School?
The largest demographic group at Alak School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 97.1%. The school serves a student body in Wainwright, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alak School?
Alak School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.