Enrollment
200
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Anchorage, AK
Highland Academy Charter
Federal NCES profile for Highland Academy Charter, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020018000555Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Academy Charter earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Alaska schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.
- #5 of 59
- schools in Anchorage · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 18.2:1
- large classes for Alaska
- 200
- students enrolled
Highland Academy Charter has class sizes larger than 81% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Academy Charter ranks #5 of 59 schools in Anchorage, AK.
School address
District: Anchorage School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020018000555 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Academy Charter compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Academy Charter
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Highland Academy Charter'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.
Student support operates inside a leaner district budget
Highland Academy Charter's district reports $17,200 in per-pupil expenditure, at least 15% below the Alaska average of $33,240. That district-wide constraint gives the campus-level support fields added meaning: counselor loads, specialist staffing, and program access are being reported within a comparatively lean spending environment. F-33 does not publish this school's own budget, so the comparison describes district context rather than dollars assigned to this building.
Highland Academy Charter is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Anchorage, Alaska, enrolling 200 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 200 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 (49%) and Two or More (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Anchorage School District spends $17,200 per pupil, 48% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Anchorage's public schools, it stands alongside Family Partnership Charter School (1,008 students): Highland Academy Charter is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.2:1 vs 50.4:1).
Anchorage School District also operates West High School (1,702 students) and Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School (1,636 students) alongside Highland Academy Charter.
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 Highland Academy Charter compares
Highland Academy Charter on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.2:1 | ▲ 20% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 200 | top 45% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.2:1
Leaner classes than 23% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
200
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 81% in Alaska - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.5%
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
$17,200
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
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
1
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
White 48.5%
Two or More 18.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 13.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
African American 4.5%
Asian 2.5%
Largest group: White at 48.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.3, Highland Academy Charter is more mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anchorage School District, which includes Highland Academy Charter.
$17,200
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 54.1%
Federal 18.1%
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 Highland Academy Charter Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Service High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bartlett High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dimond High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Academy Charter's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,636
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,518
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,431
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,373
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools in Anchorage
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Family Partnership Charter School
Standard public school
1,008 students 50.4:1 students per teacher
Frontier Charter School
Standard public school
689 students
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School
Standard public school
582 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Focus Homeschool
Standard public school
549 students 61:1 students per teacher
Bowman Elementary
Standard public school
536 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Polaris K-12 School
Standard public school
483 students 19.3:1 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 (~200 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Academy Charter's federal record.
- Compare Highland Academy Charter against another school. Compare schools
- Anchorage 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 Highland Academy Charter
How many students attend Highland Academy Charter?
Highland Academy Charter has 200 students enrolled. It is a public school in Anchorage, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Academy Charter?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Academy Charter is 18.2:1, which is 20% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Academy Charter?
The largest demographic group at Highland Academy Charter is White at 48.5% of enrollment, in Anchorage, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Academy Charter?
Highland Academy Charter has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Highland Academy Charter rank among schools in Anchorage?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Academy Charter ranks #5 of 59 schools in Anchorage, AK. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Anchorage on the city page.
What other schools are in Anchorage School District?
Besides Highland Academy Charter, Anchorage School District also operates West High School (1,702 students), Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School (1,636 students), and Service High School (1,518 students). See the Anchorage 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 July 2026.