Valley Pathways

Public school, pre-kindergarten to grade 12 · Palmer, Alaska

Valley Pathways in Palmer, Alaska enrolled 143 students in 2024-25 with 10.0 full-time teachers, 14.3 students per teacher against the Alaska median of 11.3. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 20-29% of its students tested were proficient in reading and 20% or less proficient in math in 2021-22 (Alaska: 29.4% and 22.8%). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 50-59% (Alaska: 77.9%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 28% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 7%

200 students in 2022-23, 153 students in 2023-24, 143 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 10.8 to 10.0.

Students enrolled at Valley Pathways by school year2022-23: 200, 2023-24: 153, 2024-25: 1430501001502002022-232002023-241532024-25143
Students enrolled at Valley Pathways by school year2022-23: 200, 2023-24: 153, 2024-25: 1430501001502002022-232002023-241532024-25143
Students enrolled at Valley Pathways by school year2022-23: 200, 2023-24: 153, 2024-25: 1430501001502002022-232002023-241532024-25143
Students enrolled at Valley Pathways by school year2022-23: 200, 2023-24: 153, 2024-25: 1430501001502002022-232002023-241532024-25143
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2320010.818.5
2023-2415312.012.8
2024-2514310.014.3

14.3 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 68 of every 100 Alaska schools of this kind

Among the 196 Alaska schools of this kind that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 11.3; the national median for schools of this kind is 13.8. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, Alaska other schools, 2024-25196 values from 3.2 to 99.3; Valley Pathways 14.3; state median 11.3.2 more above 80.0 →020406080students per full-time teacherValley Pathways 14.3state median 11.3U.S. 13.8
Students per teacher, Alaska other schools, 2024-25196 values from 3.2 to 99.3; Valley Pathways 14.3; state median 11.3.2 more above 80.0 →020406080students per full-time teacherValley Pathways 14.3state median 11.3U.S. 13.8
Students per teacher, Alaska other schools, 2024-25196 values from 3.2 to 99.3; Valley Pathways 14.3; state median 11.3.2 more above 80.0 →020406080students per full-time teacherValley Pathways 14.3state median 11.3U.S. 13.8
Students per teacher, Alaska other schools, 2024-25196 values from 3.2 to 99.3; Valley Pathways 14.3; state median 11.3.2 more above 80.0 →020406080students per full-time teacherValley Pathways 14.3state median 11.3U.S. 13.8

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 182 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Valley Pathways enrolled 182 students and had 1.0 counselor (full-time equivalent); it reported 25 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programYes
  • Counselors (FTE)1.0, one per 182 of the 182 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions25
  • Chronically absentnot reported for this school

Who attends

61.5% of students were White, 19.6% of two or more races, 9.8% American Indian in 2024-25.

  1. White61.5%
  2. Two or more races19.6%
  3. American Indian9.8%
  4. Hispanic9.1%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested at Valley Pathways scored proficient or above: 20-29% in reading and 20% or less in math, against 29.4% in reading and 22.8% in math across Alaska. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Alaska, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis schoolIts districtAlaska
Reading and language arts20‑29%32%29.4%
Math20% or less26%22.8%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive): ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

50-59% of the 50 students in Valley Pathways's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.9% across Alaska. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This schoolIts districtAlaska
Four-year graduation rate50‑59%85%77.9%
Students in the class501,3909,629

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows school and district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

Schools of this kind in Palmer

2 public schools of this kind in Palmer report 2024-25 enrollment; Valley Pathways is the largest.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Valley Pathways14314.368.5%
Beryozova School3919.587.0%

All public schools in Palmer →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Valley Pathways

  1. Knik Charter Correspondence SchoolThe nearest public school of this kind, 5.7 miles away: 34 students, 34.0 per teacher (2024-25).5.7 mi
  2. Knik Charter SchoolThe next nearest public school of this kind, 5.7 miles away: 189 students, 13.3 per teacher (2024-25).5.7 mi
  3. Compare Valley Pathways with Knik Charter Correspondence SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District spends per student$15,575 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$15,575
  5. The largest public schools in AlaskaValley Pathways is the number 56 by size of 210 Alaska schools of this kind open in 2024-25.#56 of 210
  6. Alaska schools by students per teacher14.3 students per teacher here against the Alaska median of 11.3 for schools of this kind.14.3:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Valley Pathways

  1. How many students attend Valley Pathways?
    143 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 200 in 2022-23. It is an alternative school in Palmer, AK.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Pathways?
    14.3 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Alaska median for schools of this kind is 11.3. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Valley Pathways a Title I school?
    Valley Pathways ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at Valley Pathways do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested at Valley Pathways scored proficient or above: 20-29% in reading and 20% or less in math, against 29.4% in reading and 22.8% in math across Alaska. Alaska's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What is the graduation rate at Valley Pathways?
    50-59% of the 50 students in Valley Pathways's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.9% across Alaska. The rate counts the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and the share of them with a regular diploma by 2023. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23; ED publishes school rates as ranges to protect small groups.
  6. What district is Valley Pathways in?
    Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, NCES district ID 0200510. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 020051000425 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .