Enrollment
361
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Wainwright, AK
Arctic Light Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Arctic Light Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020060000055
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Arctic Light Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Alaska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Alaska
- 29.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 361
- students enrolled
Arctic Light Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020060000055 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+8% 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
What stands out at Arctic Light Elementary
Arctic Light Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, enrolling 361 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 361 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 495 scored Alaska schools.
Against 64 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #36.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 361 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 69.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spends $18,816 per pupil, 43% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students) and Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students) alongside Arctic Light Elementary.
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 Arctic Light Elementary compares
Arctic Light Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.4:1 | ▲ 8% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.1% | ▼ 53% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 361 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
361
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 8% above state mean
Top 70% in Alaska - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
69.5%
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
$18,816
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 73.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.0, Arctic Light Elementary is more mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which includes Arctic Light Elementary.
$18,816
Per student
-43%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Arctic Light Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lathrop High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fairbanks B.E.S.T. | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| West Valley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Pole High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Pole Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Arctic Light Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 784
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 695
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 631
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
Similar other 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 (~361 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Arctic Light Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Arctic Light Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Fairbanks North Star 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 Arctic Light Elementary
How many students attend Arctic Light Elementary?
Arctic Light Elementary has 361 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Wainwright, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Arctic Light Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Arctic Light Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 8% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Fort Wainwright, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arctic Light Elementary?
Arctic Light Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Arctic Light Elementary a good school?
Arctic Light Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Alaska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools. 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Besides Arctic Light Elementary, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students), Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students), and West Valley High School (782 students). See the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District district page for the complete list.
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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.