Enrollment
143
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 020051000425
Valley Pathways — Palmer, AK
Federal NCES profile for Valley Pathways, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 20
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 20:1 Alaska avg
+0% 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
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
Valley Pathways reports 143 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 0% 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 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 81.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the Alaska average and 56% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 143 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% 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 34/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Valley Pathways 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 | 20:1 | ▼ 0% | 20:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.0% | ▲ 32% | 61.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 143 | top 45% | — | — |
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
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
20:1
students per teacher
— 0% above state mean
Top 85% in Alaska — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
100.0%
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
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
Enrollment 143 Top 45% in Alaska — larger than 55% of 496 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 20:1 +0% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 81.0% +32% vs state
NCES ID 020051000425
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.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 143:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 25
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which includes Valley Pathways.
$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 high schools in Palmer
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 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 20:1, which is 0% higher than the Alaska average of 20:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Palmer, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Pathways?
Valley Pathways has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 5 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.