Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmer, AK

Mat-Su Middle College School

Federal NCES profile for Mat-Su Middle College School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020051000747
0/100100/10064/100
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
56
📋 Attendance
67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mat-Su Middle College School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.

#1 of 6
schools in Palmer · Resource Index
64
Resource Index · Higher
222
students enrolled

By Resource Investment Index, Mat-Su Middle College School ranks #1 of 6 schools in Palmer, AK.

Enrollment

222

Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

2.0

Federal CCD staff survey

What stands out at Mat-Su Middle College School

Mat-Su Middle College School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Palmer, Alaska, enrolling 222 students.

With 222 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 495 Alaska schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Its student body is led by White (77%) and Two or More (14%) (diversity index 39/100).

Counselor coverage is strong, about 222 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

13.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Among Palmer's public schools, it stands alongside Pioneer Peak Elementary (449 students): Mat-Su Middle College School is smaller than that campus by headcount.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Mat-Su Middle College 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 Mat-Su Middle College School compares

Mat-Su Middle College School on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Alaska Alaska avg U.S. avg
Enrollment 222 top 41% - -

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

222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Engagement
13.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 222 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 76.6%
Two or More 13.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.2%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%

Largest group: White at 76.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 39.0/100

Simpson diversity index - at 39.0, Mat-Su Middle College School is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Mat-Su Middle College 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 Mat-Su Middle College 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 No free-lunch data No ratio data
Wasilla High School Larger No free-lunch data No ratio data
Colony Middle School Larger No free-lunch data No ratio data
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School Larger No free-lunch data No ratio data

Comparisons are relative to Mat-Su Middle College School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Palmer

5 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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 Mat-Su Middle College 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 Mat-Su Middle College School

How many students attend Mat-Su Middle College School?

Mat-Su Middle College School has 222 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmer, AK.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mat-Su Middle College School?

The largest demographic group at Mat-Su Middle College School is White at 76.6% of enrollment, in Palmer, AK.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mat-Su Middle College School?

Mat-Su Middle College School has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mat-Su Middle College School rank among schools in Palmer?

By Resource Investment Index, Mat-Su Middle College School ranks #1 of 6 schools in Palmer, AK. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Palmer on the city page.

Is Mat-Su Middle College School a good school?

Mat-Su Middle College School earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Mat-Su Middle College 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.

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.