Enrollment
201
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fairbanks, AK
Boreal Sun Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Boreal Sun Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 020060000761Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Boreal Sun Charter School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Alaska schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Fairbanks · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.3:1
- large classes for Alaska
- 20.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Boreal Sun Charter School has class sizes larger than 82% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Boreal Sun Charter School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Fairbanks, AK.
School address
District: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020060000761 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.8%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Boreal Sun Charter School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Boreal Sun Charter School
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Boreal Sun Charter School's enrollment sits away from the most extreme size bands, but its reported student-teacher ratio is heavier than most Alaska schools. That isolates staffing load as a more useful concern than raw campus size. A high ratio does not establish weak teaching or outcomes, yet it can indicate less adult capacity per enrolled student. The remaining federal indicators show whether support staffing and program access offset that pressure.
Need and resources require a component-level read
Boreal Sun Charter School falls within the wide middle of the Alaska distribution on both free-meal eligibility and the Resource Investment Index. Neither measure supplies an honest headline by itself. The useful distinctions are in the components: classroom staffing, counselor availability, attendance, gifted-program access, and district spending. Those fields can pull in opposite directions even when the overall percentile looks ordinary.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Boreal Sun Charter School's 51.2% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Boreal Sun Charter School is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Fairbanks, Alaska, enrolling 201 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 20.8% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Alaska average.
With 201 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 495 scored Alaska schools.
Against 37 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #25.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 55/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spends $17,616 per pupil, 48% 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.
Among Fairbanks's elementary schools, it stands alongside Watershed Charter School (200 students): Boreal Sun Charter School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.3:1 vs 22.2:1).
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students) and Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students) alongside Boreal Sun 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 Boreal Sun Charter School compares
Boreal Sun 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.8% | ▼ 66% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 201 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.3:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
201
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 82% in Alaska - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.2%
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
$17,616
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,705
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 + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 63.2%
Two or More 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 12.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.0%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: White at 63.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.1, Boreal Sun Charter School 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 Boreal Sun Charter School.
$17,616
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,705
0%
vs U.S.
Avg $17,658
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 58.3%
Federal 19.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2022-23 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Boreal Sun Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lathrop High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar 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 | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Boreal Sun Charter School'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 elementary schools in Fairbanks
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 (~201 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Boreal Sun Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Boreal Sun Charter School 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 Boreal Sun Charter School
How many students attend Boreal Sun Charter School?
Boreal Sun Charter School has 201 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fairbanks, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Boreal Sun Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Boreal Sun Charter School is 18.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Boreal Sun Charter School?
20.8% of students at Boreal Sun Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Boreal Sun Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Boreal Sun Charter School is White at 63.2% of enrollment, in Fairbanks, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Boreal Sun Charter School?
Boreal Sun Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Boreal Sun Charter School rank among elementary schools in Fairbanks?
By Resource Investment Index, Boreal Sun Charter School ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Fairbanks, 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 Fairbanks on the city page.
What other schools are in Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Besides Boreal Sun Charter School, 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.
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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.