Enrollment
300
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairbanks, AK
Denali Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Denali Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020060000262
👥 S:T ratio 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Denali Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Alaska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.
- #6 of 17
- schools in Fairbanks · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.7:1
- large classes for Alaska
- 50.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Denali Elementary has class sizes larger than 72% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Denali Elementary ranks #6 of 17 schools in Fairbanks, AK.
School address
District: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020060000262 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.7%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Denali Elementary compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Denali Elementary
Scale and staffing sit near the state mainstream
Denali Elementary 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.
Need and resources require a component-level read
Denali Elementary 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
Denali Elementary's 46.3% 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.
Denali Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fairbanks, Alaska, enrolling 300 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.7% lands close to the Alaska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 300 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 30 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #14.
Its student body is led by White (32%) and Two or More (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 79/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 300 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.3% 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 public schools, it stands alongside Interior Distance Education of Alaska (Idea) (7,876 students): Denali Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students) and Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students) alongside Denali 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 Denali Elementary compares
Denali 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.7% | ▼ 18% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.7:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 72% in Alaska - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.3%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 300 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 31.7%
Two or More 23.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 17.7%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
African American 5.3%
Asian 4.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3.0%
Largest group: White at 31.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 78.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 78.8, Denali 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 Denali Elementary.
$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 Denali Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lathrop High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Fairbanks B.E.S.T. | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| West Valley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| North Pole High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Pole Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Denali 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 in Fairbanks
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Interior Distance Education of Alaska (Idea)
Standard public school
7,876 students
Raven School
Standard public school
3,687 students
Fairbanks B.E.S.T.
Standard public school
784 students
Barnette Magnet School
Standard public school
417 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Weller Elementary
Standard public school
413 students 18:1 students per teacher
Pearl Creek Elementary
Standard public school
388 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Denali Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Denali 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 Denali Elementary
How many students attend Denali Elementary?
Denali Elementary has 300 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairbanks, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Denali Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Denali Elementary is 16.7:1, which is 10% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Denali Elementary?
50.7% of students at Denali Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Denali Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Denali Elementary is White at 31.7% of enrollment, in Fairbanks, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 78.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Denali Elementary?
Denali Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Denali Elementary rank among schools in Fairbanks?
By Resource Investment Index, Denali Elementary ranks #6 of 17 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 schools in Fairbanks on the city page.
What other schools are in Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?
Besides Denali 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.
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.