Enrollment
361
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 020060000055
Arctic Light Elementary — Fort Wainwright, AK
Federal NCES profile for Arctic Light Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 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: Fairbanks North Star 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.2:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.1%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Arctic Light Elementary 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
Arctic Light Elementary reports 361 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 53% below the Alaska average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 361 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 69.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spends $19,103 per pupil district-wide, below the Alaska average of $36,093 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.1% from local sources (property taxes), 58.3% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Arctic Light Elementary 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 | 21.2:1 | ▲ 6% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.1% | ▼ 53% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 80% | — | — |
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
29.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 53% 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
21.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 90% in Alaska — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
69.5%
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
$19,103
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alaska avg of $36,093
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 361 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 361 Top 80% in Alaska — larger than 20% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 21.2:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.1% -53% vs state
NCES ID 020060000055
Student demographics
White 40.2%
Hispanic or Latino 28.3%
African American 12.5%
Two or More 8.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 7.2%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 40.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 361:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 69.5%
In-school suspensions 10
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which includes Arctic Light Elementary.
$19,103
Per student
-47%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 58.3%
Federal 19.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Enrollment
- 784
- Students per teacher
- 801:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
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 Arctic Light Elementary
How many students attend Arctic Light Elementary?
Arctic Light Elementary has 361 students enrolled. It is a other school in Fort Wainwright, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Arctic Light Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Arctic Light Elementary is 21.2:1, which is 6% higher than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Arctic Light Elementary?
29.1% of students at Arctic Light Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Arctic Light Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Arctic Light Elementary is White at 40.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in Fort Wainwright, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arctic Light Elementary?
Arctic Light Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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.