Other / mixed grade configuration · Fairbanks, AK

Weller Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Weller Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 020060000519
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
28
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
17
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Weller Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Alaska schools.

#16 of 17
schools in Fairbanks · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
18:1
large classes for Alaska
25.7%
free-lunch eligible

Weller Elementary has class sizes larger than 81% of Alaska schools. Computed live against every Alaska school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Weller Elementary ranks #16 of 17 schools in Fairbanks, AK.

Enrollment

413

Alaska · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

23.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

18:1

vs 15.2:1 Alaska avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

25.7%

vs 61.5% Alaska avg

-58% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Weller 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 Weller Elementary

Weller Elementary is a large combined-grade school in Fairbanks, Alaska, enrolling 413 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 413 puts it in the larger third of Alaska schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 495 scored Alaska schools.

Among 72 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alaska schools statewide, it ranks #54, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (61%) and Two or More (20%) (diversity index 57/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 413 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough School District spends $18,816 per pupil, 43% below the Alaska average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 19.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Fairbanks's public schools, it stands alongside Interior Distance Education of Alaska (Idea) (7,876 students): Weller Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount.

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students) and Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students) alongside Weller 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 Weller Elementary compares

Weller 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 18:1 ▲ 18% 15.2:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 25.7% ▼ 58% 61.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 413 top 14% - -

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

18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
413
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
25.7%
free-lunch eligible - 58% below the Alaska average of 61.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 81% in Alaska - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
61.0%
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
$18,816
per pupil, district-wide - below Alaska avg of $33,240
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 413 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 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 61.0%
Two or More 20.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.7%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: White at 61.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 57.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 57.2, Weller Elementary is more mixed than the Alaska school average of 43.0.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which includes Weller Elementary.

$18,816
Per student
-43%
vs Alaska
Avg $33,240
+13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.1%
State 58.3%
Federal 19.7%

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 Weller Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lathrop High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Fairbanks B.E.S.T. Larger No free-lunch data No ratio data
West Valley High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
North Pole High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Pole Middle School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Weller Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Fairbanks

6 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 Weller 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 Weller Elementary

How many students attend Weller Elementary?

Weller Elementary has 413 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fairbanks, AK.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Weller Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Weller Elementary is 18:1, which is 18% higher than the Alaska average of 15.2:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Weller Elementary?

25.7% of students at Weller Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alaska average of 61.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Weller Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Weller Elementary is White at 61.0% of enrollment, in Fairbanks, AK. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Weller Elementary?

Weller Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Weller Elementary rank among schools in Fairbanks?

By Resource Investment Index, Weller Elementary ranks #16 of 17 schools in Fairbanks, AK. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fairbanks on the city page.

Is Weller Elementary a good school?

Weller Elementary earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Fairbanks North Star Borough School District?

Besides Weller Elementary, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District also operates Lathrop High School (788 students), Fairbanks B.E.S.T. (784 students), and West Valley High School (782 students). See the Fairbanks North Star 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.

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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.