Enrollment
158
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fairbanks, AK
Chinook Montessori Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Chinook Montessori Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 020060000162Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chinook Montessori Charter School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Alaska schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Fairbanks · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- large classes for Alaska
- 158
- students enrolled
Chinook Montessori Charter School has class sizes larger than 77% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chinook Montessori Charter School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Fairbanks, AK.
School address
District: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020060000162 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chinook Montessori Charter School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chinook Montessori Charter School
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Chinook Montessori Charter School is neither an extreme outlier in enrollment nor in student-teacher ratio among Alaska schools. Its profile therefore turns on the other dimensions rather than on scale alone: economic need, counselor coverage, program access, attendance, and district finance. This middle placement is useful because it prevents the campus from being mislabeled as unusually large, small, crowded, or teacher-dense when the federal comparison does not support that claim.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Chinook Montessori Charter School's 25.3% 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.
Chinook Montessori Charter School is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Fairbanks, Alaska, enrolling 158 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 158 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 43/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.3% 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 Boreal Sun Charter School (201 students): Chinook Montessori Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.6:1 vs 18.3:1).
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students) and Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students) alongside Chinook Montessori 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 Chinook Montessori Charter School compares
Chinook Montessori 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 16% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 158 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
158
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 77% in Alaska - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.3%
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 + 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.
Student demographics
White 74.1%
Two or More 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.1%
Asian 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 74.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.8, Chinook Montessori Charter School is about as mixed as 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 Chinook Montessori 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 Chinook Montessori Charter School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lathrop High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fairbanks B.E.S.T. | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| West Valley High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Pole High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Pole Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chinook Montessori 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 (~158 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chinook Montessori Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Chinook Montessori 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 Chinook Montessori Charter School
How many students attend Chinook Montessori Charter School?
Chinook Montessori Charter School has 158 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fairbanks, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chinook Montessori Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chinook Montessori Charter School is 17.6:1, which is 16% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chinook Montessori Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Chinook Montessori Charter School is White at 74.1% of enrollment, in Fairbanks, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chinook Montessori Charter School?
Chinook Montessori Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (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 Chinook Montessori Charter School rank among elementary schools in Fairbanks?
By Resource Investment Index, Chinook Montessori Charter School ranks #1 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 Chinook Montessori 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.