Enrollment
263
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 020051000733
Knik Elementary School — Wasilla, AK
Federal NCES profile for Knik Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.6%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Knik Elementary School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Knik Elementary School reports 263 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% below the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Alaska average and 27% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 50.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $18,753 per pupil district-wide, below the Alaska average of $36,093 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.6% from local sources (property taxes), 62.7% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Knik Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Alaska state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 36% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.6% | ▼ 39% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 263 | top 65% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
37.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 36% below state mean
Top 34% in Alaska — lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
50.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,753
per pupil, district-wide
— below Alaska avg of $36,093
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 263 Top 65% in Alaska — larger than 35% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.6% -39% vs state
NCES ID 020051000733
Student demographics
White 52.1%
Two or More 27.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 52.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 50.2%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Knik Elementary School.
$18,753
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- 98:1
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar elementary schools in Wasilla
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Knik Elementary School
How many students attend Knik Elementary School?
Knik Elementary School has 263 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Wasilla, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Knik Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Knik Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 36% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 19% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Knik Elementary School?
37.6% of students at Knik Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Knik Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Knik Elementary School is White at 52.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wasilla, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Knik Elementary School?
Knik Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.