Enrollment
59
Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Northway, AK
Walter Northway School
Federal NCES profile for Walter Northway School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020005000027
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walter Northway School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alaska schools.
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.8:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 59
- students enrolled
Walter Northway School has class sizes near the Alaska median. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Alaska Gateway School District · Alaska
NCES ID 020005000027 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 61.5% Alaska avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walter Northway School compares with Alaska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walter Northway School
Walter Northway School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Northway, Alaska, enrolling 59 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 59 puts it in the smaller third of Alaska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 495 scored Alaska schools.
Against 38 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #26.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 81.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Alaska Gateway School District spends $40,337 per pupil, 21% above the Alaska average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 29.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Alaska Gateway School District also operates Tok School (183 students) and Alaska Reach Academy (62 students) alongside Walter Northway School.
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 Walter Northway School compares
Walter Northway School on the metrics families compare, against Alaska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alaska | Alaska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 22% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 63% | 61.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
59
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 63% 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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 22% below state mean
Top 31% in Alaska - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
81.4%
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
$40,337
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alaska avg of $33,240
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 93.2%
African American 3.4%
Two or More 3.4%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.9, Walter Northway School is less mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alaska Gateway School District, which includes Walter Northway School.
$40,337
Per student
+21%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+143%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.6%
State 68.4%
Federal 29.0%
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 Walter Northway School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tok School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alaska Reach Academy | Similar size | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Mentasta Lake School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Tetlin School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dot Lake School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walter Northway School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 183
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 62
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 26
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 13
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~59 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walter Northway School's federal record.
- Compare Walter Northway School against another school. Compare schools
- Alaska Gateway 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 Walter Northway School
How many students attend Walter Northway School?
Walter Northway School has 59 students enrolled. It is a public school in Northway, AK.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walter Northway School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walter Northway School is 11.8:1, which is 22% lower than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 25% 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 Walter Northway School?
100.0% of students at Walter Northway School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walter Northway School?
The largest demographic group at Walter Northway School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 93.2% of enrollment, in Northway, AK.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walter Northway School?
Walter Northway School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Walter Northway School a good school?
Walter Northway School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Alaska median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Alaska Gateway School District?
Besides Walter Northway School, Alaska Gateway School District also operates Tok School (183 students), Alaska Reach Academy (62 students), and Mentasta Lake School (26 students). See the Alaska Gateway 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.