Enrollment
830
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 020018000729
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School — Anchorage, AK
Federal NCES profile for Nicholas J. Begich Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 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: Anchorage 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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.6%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nicholas J. Begich Middle 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
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School reports 830 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% above the Alaska average and 50% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 277 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 58.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Anchorage School District spends $18,698 per pupil district-wide, below the Alaska average of $36,093 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.8% from local sources (property taxes), 54.1% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Nicholas J. Begich Middle 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 | 18:1 | ▼ 10% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.6% | ▲ 26% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 830 | top 97% | — | — |
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
77.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
18:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 74% in Alaska — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
58.1%
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
$18,698
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 277 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 126 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 830 Top 97% in Alaska — larger than 3% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 18:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.6% +26% vs state
NCES ID 020018000729
Student demographics
Asian 21.8%
Two or More 20.5%
White 13.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 12.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 12.5%
African American 5.3%
Largest group: Asian at 21.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 277:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 58.1%
In-school suspensions 18
Out-of-school suspensions 126
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anchorage School District, which includes Nicholas J. Begich Middle School.
$18,698
Per student
-48%
vs Alaska
Avg $36,093
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,702
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,636
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,518
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,431
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,373
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
Similar middle schools in Anchorage
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Romig Middle School
Standard public school
1,138 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Hanshew Middle School
Standard public school
822 students 25.6:1 students per teacher
Mears Middle School
Standard public school
733 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Clark Middle School
Standard public school
713 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Goldenview Middle School
Standard public school
626 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Wendler Middle School
Standard public school
602 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
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 Nicholas J. Begich Middle School
How many students attend Nicholas J. Begich Middle School?
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School has 830 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Anchorage, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nicholas J. Begich Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Nicholas J. Begich Middle School is 18:1, which is 10% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 13% higher 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 Nicholas J. Begich Middle School?
77.6% of students at Nicholas J. Begich Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Nicholas J. Begich Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Nicholas J. Begich Middle School is Asian at 21.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Anchorage, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nicholas J. Begich Middle School?
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.