Other / mixed grade configuration · Talkeetna, AK

Talkeetna Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Talkeetna Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020051000723
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
31
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Talkeetna Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Alaska schools.

34
Resource Index · Typical
17.3:1
large classes for Alaska
52.3%
free-lunch eligible
121
students enrolled

Talkeetna Elementary has class sizes larger than 74% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.

Enrollment

121

Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

7.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.3:1

vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

52.3%

vs 61.5% Alaska avg

-15% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Talkeetna Elementary compares with Alaska and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Talkeetna Elementary

Talkeetna Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Talkeetna, Alaska, enrolling 121 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.3% lands close to the Alaska typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

With 121 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 495 scored Alaska schools.

Against 16 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #7.

Its student body is led by White (74%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 41/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 57.0% 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 Susitna Valley High (233 students): Talkeetna Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.3:1 vs 15.5:1).

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Talkeetna Elementary.

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 Talkeetna Elementary compares

Talkeetna Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Alaska Alaska avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.3:1 ▲ 14% 15.2:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 52.3% ▼ 15% 61.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 121 top 60% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.3:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
121
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
52.3%
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
17.3:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 74% in Alaska - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
57.0%
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 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 74.4%
Two or More 17.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%

Largest group: White at 74.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 41.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 41.3, Talkeetna Elementary is about as mixed as the Alaska school average of 43.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Talkeetna Elementary.

$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 Talkeetna Elementary 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 Similar 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 Talkeetna Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Talkeetna Elementary's federal record.

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 Talkeetna Elementary

How many students attend Talkeetna Elementary?

Talkeetna Elementary has 121 students enrolled. It is a public school in Talkeetna, AK.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Talkeetna Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Talkeetna Elementary is 17.3:1, which is 14% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Talkeetna Elementary?

52.3% of students at Talkeetna Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Talkeetna Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Talkeetna Elementary is White at 74.4% of enrollment, in Talkeetna, AK.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Talkeetna Elementary?

Talkeetna Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

Is Talkeetna Elementary a good school?

Talkeetna Elementary earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of 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 Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District?

Besides Talkeetna Elementary, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.