Public schools in Alaska

The NCES directory lists 488 public schools operating in Alaska in 2024-25; 483 of them reported 128,455 students, averaging 15.6 students per teacher, the 14th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Anchorage School District, with 41,946 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools483168 elementary, 34 middle, 71 high, 210 other
Students128,4550.3% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher15.6U.S. 15.3

Alaska has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

Alaska ranks 14th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Michigan16.9
  2. North Carolina16.2
  3. Colorado15.8
  4. Alaska15.6
  5. Kentucky15.4
  6. Oklahoma15.4
  7. Indiana15.2

Eight in ten larger Alaska districts spent between $8,241 and $46,368 per student

Among the 16 Alaska districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $8,241 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $46,368; the median was $21,949. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2316 values from $6,532 to $48,035; ; state median $21,949.$8,241$46,368the middle eight in ten$0k$20k$40k$60kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,949
Current spending per student, Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2316 values from $6,532 to $48,035; ; state median $21,949.$8,241$46,368the middle eight in ten$0k$20k$40k$60kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,949
Current spending per student, Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2316 values from $6,532 to $48,035; ; state median $21,949.$8,241$46,368the middle eight in ten$0k$20k$40k$60kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,949
Current spending per student, Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-2316 values from $6,532 to $48,035; ; state median $21,949.$8,241$46,368the middle eight in ten$0k$20k$40k$60kcurrent spending per studentstate median $21,949

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 31.7% of the Alaska students tested met the state's reading standard and 32.3% its math standard. Alaska writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Alaska's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 77.9% of 9,629 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Alaska almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA), 7,876 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Martin Luther King Jr. Technical High School, 4.7 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Lower Yukon School District, $48,035 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Denali PEAK, 0.1% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  6. 06Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Martin Luther King Jr. Technical High School, 59 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  7. 07Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Galena City School District, 51.8 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Alaska

  1. Anchorage School District41,946
  2. Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District19,495
  3. Fairbanks North Star Borough School District11,660
  4. Kenai Peninsula Borough School District8,510
  5. Galena City School District8,168
  6. Yukon-Koyukuk School District4,000
  7. Lower Kuskokwim School District3,823
  8. Juneau School District3,511

Every Alaska school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Anchorage35,650 students78 schools
  2. Fairbanks20,340 students27 schools
  3. Wasilla12,364 students26 schools
  4. Palmer5,537 students14 schools
  5. Juneau3,511 students12 schools
  6. Eagle River3,757 students11 schools
  7. Ketchikan2,043 students9 schools
  8. Soldotna3,452 students8 schools
  9. Kenai2,053 students8 schools
  10. Homer1,320 students8 schools
  11. Sitka1,502 students7 schools
  12. Kodiak2,012 students7 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Alaska's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Alaska?
    The NCES directory lists 488 operating in 2024-25; 483 of them reported students: 168 elementary, 34 middle, 71 high and 210 other, enrolling 128,455 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Alaska?
    15.6 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Alaska?
    Anchorage School District, with 41,946 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Alaska spend per public-school student?
    $20,340 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

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

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .