Enrollment
171
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Toksook Bay, AK
Nelson Island Area School
Federal NCES profile for Nelson Island Area School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 18/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020000100213
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nelson Island Area School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.
- 18
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 171
- students enrolled
Nelson Island Area School has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lower Kuskokwim School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020000100213 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nelson Island Area School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nelson Island Area School
Nelson Island Area School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Toksook Bay, Alaska, enrolling 171 students.
At 14.3:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 171 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 495 Alaska schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 41 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alaska schools statewide, it ranks #32, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (100% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 0/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1555 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 63.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Lower Kuskokwim School District spends $41,931 per pupil, 26% above the Alaska average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 34.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lower Kuskokwim School District also operates Bethel Regional High School (410 students) and Gladys Jung Elementary (309 students) alongside Nelson Island Area 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 Nelson Island Area School compares
Nelson Island Area 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 63% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 171 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
171
Bigger than 17% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 50% in Alaska - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
63.2%
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
$41,931
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
American Indian / Alaska Native 100.0%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 100.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 0.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 0.0, Nelson Island Area School is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lower Kuskokwim School District, which includes Nelson Island Area School.
$41,931
Per student
+26%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+153%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.9%
State 63.3%
Federal 34.8%
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 Nelson Island Area School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Regional High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gladys Jung Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ket'acik/Aapalluk Memorial School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chief Paul Memorial School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nelson Island Area School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 309
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 261
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 255
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~171 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nelson Island Area School's federal record.
- Compare Nelson Island Area School against another school. Compare schools
- Lower Kuskokwim 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 Nelson Island Area School
How many students attend Nelson Island Area School?
Nelson Island Area School has 171 students enrolled. It is a public school in Toksook Bay, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nelson Island Area School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nelson Island Area School is 14.3:1, which is 6% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 9% 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 Nelson Island Area School?
100.0% of students at Nelson Island Area School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nelson Island Area School?
The largest demographic group at Nelson Island Area School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 100.0% of enrollment, in Toksook Bay, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nelson Island Area School?
Nelson Island Area School has a Resource Investment Index of 18/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Nelson Island Area School a good school?
Nelson Island Area School earns 18/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. 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 Lower Kuskokwim School District?
Besides Nelson Island Area School, Lower Kuskokwim School District also operates Bethel Regional High School (410 students), Gladys Jung Elementary (309 students), and Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat (261 students). See the Lower Kuskokwim 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.