Enrollment
563
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 020051000544
Palmer Middle School — Palmer, AK
Federal NCES profile for Palmer Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 15
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.2:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.4%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmer 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
Palmer Middle School reports 563 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the Alaska state mean of 20:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Alaska average and 30% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 282 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 63.9% 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 32/100 (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 Palmer 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 | 21.2:1 | ▲ 6% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.4% | ▼ 41% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 91% | — | — |
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
36.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
21.2:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 90% in Alaska — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
63.9%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 563 Top 91% in Alaska — larger than 9% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 21.2:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.4% -41% vs state
NCES ID 020051000544
Student demographics
White 66.8%
Two or More 15.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 6.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.0%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 66.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 282:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 63.9%
In-school suspensions 35
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Palmer Middle 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 middle schools in Palmer
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) 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 Palmer Middle School
How many students attend Palmer Middle School?
Palmer Middle School has 563 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmer, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmer Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmer Middle School is 21.2:1, which is 6% higher than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palmer Middle School?
36.4% of students at Palmer Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmer Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Palmer Middle School is White at 66.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Palmer, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmer Middle School?
Palmer Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.