Enrollment
582
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 020018000094
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School — Anchorage, AK
Federal NCES profile for Northern Lights Abc K-8 School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 30
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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
18.5%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-70% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northern Lights Abc K-8 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
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School reports 582 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 18.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 70% below the Alaska average and 64% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.0% 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 41/100 (D), 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 Northern Lights Abc K-8 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 | 19.6:1 | ▼ 2% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 18.5% | ▼ 70% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 582 | top 92% | — | — |
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
18.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 70% 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
19.6:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 83% in Alaska — lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.0%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 582 Top 92% in Alaska — larger than 8% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 18.5% -70% vs state
NCES ID 020018000094
Student demographics
White 30.8%
Asian 26.3%
Two or More 16.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
African American 8.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
Largest group: White at 30.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.0%
In-school suspensions 9
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Anchorage School District, which includes Northern Lights Abc K-8 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 other schools in Anchorage
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Family Partnership Charter School
Standard public school
1,008 students 87:1 students per teacher
Frontier Charter School
Standard public school
689 students 89.4:1 students per teacher
Focus Homeschool
Standard public school
549 students 62.7:1 students per teacher
Bowman Elementary
Standard public school
536 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Polaris K-12 School
Standard public school
483 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Government Hill Elementary
Standard public school
424 students 16.1:1 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 Northern Lights Abc K-8 School
How many students attend Northern Lights Abc K-8 School?
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School has 582 students enrolled. It is a other school in Anchorage, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northern Lights Abc K-8 School?
The student-teacher ratio at Northern Lights Abc K-8 School is 19.6:1, which is 2% lower than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 23% 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 Northern Lights Abc K-8 School?
18.5% of students at Northern Lights Abc K-8 School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northern Lights Abc K-8 School?
The largest demographic group at Northern Lights Abc K-8 School is White at 30.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Anchorage, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northern Lights Abc K-8 School?
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.