Other / mixed grade configuration · Gambell, AK

Gambell School

Federal NCES profile for Gambell School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020002000012
0/100100/10042/100
👥 S:T ratio
59
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Gambell School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Alaska schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.

42
Resource Index · Typical
10.3:1
small classes for Alaska
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
154
students enrolled

Gambell School has class sizes smaller than 77% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.

Enrollment

154

Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

15.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

10.3:1

vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg

-32% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 61.5% Alaska avg

+63% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Gambell School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Gambell School

Gambell School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gambell, Alaska, enrolling 154 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.

With 154 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.

Among 37 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alaska schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 308 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

The surrounding Bering Strait School District spends $41,210 per pupil, 24% above the Alaska average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 41.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Bering Strait School District also operates Tukurngailnguq School (239 students) and Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial School (236 students) alongside Gambell 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 Gambell School compares

Gambell 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 10.3:1 ▼ 32% 15.2:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 63% 61.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 154 top 54% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

10.3:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
154
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible - 63% above the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.3:1
students per teacher - 32% below state mean
Top 23% in Alaska - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$41,210
per pupil, district-wide - above Alaska avg of $33,240
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 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

American Indian / Alaska Native 95.5%
Asian 4.5%

Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 95.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 8.6/100

Simpson diversity index - at 8.6, Gambell School is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bering Strait School District, which includes Gambell School.

$41,210
Per student
+24%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+148%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 6.0%
State 52.2%
Federal 41.8%

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 Gambell School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Tukurngailnguq School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Shishmaref School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Unalakleet School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Brevig Mission School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Gambell School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bering Strait School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Gambell School's federal record.

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 Gambell School

How many students attend Gambell School?

Gambell School has 154 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gambell, AK.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Gambell School?

The student-teacher ratio at Gambell School is 10.3:1, which is 32% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 34% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gambell School?

100.0% of students at Gambell School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gambell School?

The largest demographic group at Gambell School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 95.5% of enrollment, in Gambell, AK.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Gambell School?

Gambell School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

Is Gambell School a good school?

Gambell School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Alaska schools. It is also less 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 Bering Strait School District?

Besides Gambell School, Bering Strait School District also operates Tukurngailnguq School (239 students), Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial School (236 students), and Shishmaref School (185 students). See the Bering Strait School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.