Enrollment
337
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Big Lake, AK
Houston High School
Federal NCES profile for Houston High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 020051000586
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Houston High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median.
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 56.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 337
- students enrolled
Houston High School has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020051000586 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.7%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Houston High School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Houston High School
Houston High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Big Lake, Alaska, enrolling 337 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alaska median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 56.7% lands close to the Alaska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 337 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Among 22 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alaska schools statewide, it ranks #1, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (63%) and Two or More (20%) (diversity index 55/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 112 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 78.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 102 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 337 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Houston High 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 Houston High School compares
Houston High 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 8% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.7% | ▼ 8% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 337 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
337
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
56.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
14:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 48% in Alaska - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
78.6%
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
$16,171
per pupil, district-wide
- below Alaska avg of $33,240
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 112 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 75 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 30.3 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
White 62.9%
Two or More 19.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 62.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.4, Houston High School is more mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Houston High School.
$16,171
Per student
-51%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.6%
State 62.7%
Federal 14.7%
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 Houston High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mat-Su Central School | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Colony High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wasilla High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colony Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Houston High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high 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 (~337 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Houston High School's federal record.
- Compare Houston High School against another school. Compare schools
- Matanuska-Susitna 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 Houston High School
How many students attend Houston High School?
Houston High School has 337 students enrolled. It is a high school in Big Lake, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Houston High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Houston High School is 14:1, which is 8% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 11% 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 Houston High School?
56.7% of students at Houston High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Houston High School?
The largest demographic group at Houston High School is White at 62.9% of enrollment, in Big Lake, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Houston High School?
Houston High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Houston High School a good school?
Houston High School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. 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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District?
Besides Houston High School, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students), Colony High School (1,046 students), and Wasilla High School (816 students). See the Matanuska-Susitna 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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.