Enrollment
233
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Talkeetna, AK
Susitna Valley High
Federal NCES profile for Susitna Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020051000232
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Susitna Valley High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median.
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 52.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 233
- students enrolled
Susitna Valley High has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020051000232 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.5%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Susitna Valley High compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Susitna Valley High
Susitna Valley High is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Talkeetna, Alaska, enrolling 233 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.5% lands close to the Alaska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 233 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Against 26 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and Two or More (14%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Talkeetna's public schools, it stands alongside Talkeetna Elementary (121 students): Susitna Valley High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 17.3:1).
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Susitna Valley High.
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 Susitna Valley High compares
Susitna Valley High on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.5:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.5% | ▼ 15% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 233 | top 40% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
233
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 62% in Alaska - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.4%
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
$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 233 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
14
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.3 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 73.8%
Two or More 14.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.3%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 73.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.0, Susitna Valley High is about as mixed as the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Susitna Valley High.
$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 Susitna Valley High 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 | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wasilla High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Colony Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Susitna Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,780
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,046
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 771
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Talkeetna
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~233 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Susitna Valley High's federal record.
- Compare Susitna Valley High against another school. Compare schools
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough 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 Susitna Valley High
How many students attend Susitna Valley High?
Susitna Valley High has 233 students enrolled. It is a public school in Talkeetna, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Susitna Valley High?
The student-teacher ratio at Susitna Valley High is 15.5:1, which is 2% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Susitna Valley High?
52.5% of students at Susitna Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Susitna Valley High?
The largest demographic group at Susitna Valley High is White at 73.8% of enrollment, in Talkeetna, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Susitna Valley High?
Susitna Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Susitna Valley High a good school?
Susitna Valley High earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. 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 Susitna Valley High, 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.
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.