Enrollment
143
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palmer, AK
Valley Pathways
Federal NCES profile for Valley Pathways, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 020051000425
👥 S:T ratio 43
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Valley Pathways earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median.
- #1 of 3
- high schools in Palmer · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- students per teacher
- 81.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Valley Pathways has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Pathways ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Palmer, AK.
School address
District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020051000425 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.0%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Pathways compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Valley Pathways
Valley Pathways is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Palmer, Alaska, enrolling 143 students.
At 14.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Alaska median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 143 students, its enrollment sits close to the Alaska median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 495 Alaska schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Two or More (20%) (diversity index 57/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 143 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends $16,171 per pupil, 51% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Palmer's high schools, it stands alongside Colony High School (1,046 students): Valley Pathways is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.3:1 vs 19:1).
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District also operates Mat-Su Central School (2,780 students) and Colony High School (1,046 students) alongside Valley Pathways.
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 Valley Pathways compares
Valley Pathways on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 6% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.0% | ▲ 32% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 143 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
143
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 50% in Alaska - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
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 143 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 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 61.5%
Two or More 19.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.1%
Largest group: White at 61.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Valley Pathways is more mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Valley Pathways.
$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 Valley Pathways 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Valley Pathways'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 high schools in Palmer
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~143 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Valley Pathways's federal record.
- Compare Valley Pathways 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 Valley Pathways
How many students attend Valley Pathways?
Valley Pathways has 143 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palmer, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Pathways?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Pathways is 14.3:1, which is 6% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Pathways?
81.0% of students at Valley Pathways are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Pathways?
The largest demographic group at Valley Pathways is White at 61.5% of enrollment, in Palmer, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Pathways?
Valley Pathways has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Valley Pathways rank among high schools in Palmer?
By Resource Investment Index, Valley Pathways ranks #1 of 3 high schools in Palmer, AK. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Palmer on the city page.
Is Valley Pathways a good school?
Valley Pathways earns 49/100 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 Valley Pathways, 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.