Best Alaska public schools
Eight rankings of Alaska's public schools from the latest NCES + state-assessment data. Unlike most school rankings, this list leads with BeatsExpectations: a demographics-adjusted score that asks how a school performs relative to what its student population would predict, not just in absolute terms.
Alaska schools outperforming demographics
Top schools by BeatsExpectations score. Demographically-adjusted; a +20 here means the school posts 20 more proficiency points than its FRL profile predicts.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trapper Creek Elementary | Trapper Creek | +30.6pp |
| 2 | Whale Pass School | Whale Pass | +28.5pp |
| 3 | Sutton Elementary | Sutton | +26.0pp |
| 4 | John Shaw Elementary | Wasilla | +25.8pp |
| 5 | Rogers Park Elementary | Anchorage | +24.9pp |
| 6 | Anvil City Science Academy | Nome | +24.5pp |
| 7 | Delta Junction Elementary | Delta Junction | +23.4pp |
| 8 | Mt. Eccles Elementary | Cordova | +22.9pp |
| 9 | Mitkof Middle School | Petersburg | +21.9pp |
| 10 | Tustumena Elementary | Kasilof | +20.3pp |
| 11 | West Homer Elementary | Homer | +20.3pp |
| 12 | Northern Lights ABC K-8 School | Anchorage | +20.1pp |
| 13 | Watershed Charter School | Fairbanks | +19.4pp |
| 14 | Peterson Elementary | Kodiak | +19.3pp |
| 15 | McNeil Canyon Elementary | Homer | +18.9pp |
Alaska Title I schools beating the odds
High-poverty schools (60%+ FRL) ranking in the top quartile of their state's proficiency.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitkof Middle School | Petersburg | 52.3% |
| 2 | Sherrod Elementary | Palmer | 48.5% |
| 3 | Willow Elementary | Willow | 48.0% |
| 4 | Cordova Jr/Sr High School | Cordova | 47.6% |
| 5 | Mt. Eccles Elementary | Cordova | 47.0% |
| 6 | Glennallen Elementary | Glennallen | 46.0% |
| 7 | Petersburg High School | Petersburg | 44.9% |
| 8 | Denali Montessori Elementary | Anchorage | 42.6% |
| 9 | Talkeetna Elementary | Talkeetna | 42.3% |
| 10 | Big Lake Elementary | Big Lake | 40.9% |
| 11 | North Star Elementary | Kodiak | 39.5% |
| 12 | Klatt Elementary | Anchorage | 38.3% |
| 13 | Gladys Wood Elementary | Anchorage | 35.4% |
| 14 | Iditarod Elementary | Wasilla | 34.3% |
| 15 | Main Elementary | Kodiak | 32.7% |
Alaska schools by raw proficiency
The traditional ranking: highest combined math + reading proficiency on the state assessment.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watershed Charter School | Fairbanks | 68.6% |
| 2 | Bear Valley Elementary | Anchorage | 68.4% |
| 3 | Ravenwood Elementary | Eagle River | 68.3% |
| 4 | Chugach Optional Elementary | Anchorage | 67.8% |
| 5 | Huffman Elementary | Anchorage | 66.2% |
| 6 | Rogers Park Elementary | Anchorage | 66.0% |
| 7 | John Shaw Elementary | Wasilla | 64.9% |
| 8 | Anderson Crawford Elementary | Eielson AFB | 64.4% |
| 9 | Delta Junction Elementary | Delta Junction | 63.8% |
| 10 | Northern Lights ABC K-8 School | Anchorage | 63.5% |
| 11 | Peterson Elementary | Kodiak | 63.2% |
| 12 | Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School | Wasilla | 59.7% |
| 13 | Birchwood ABC Elementary | Eagle River | 58.9% |
| 14 | Rabbit Creek Elementary | Anchorage | 58.6% |
| 15 | Kincaid Elementary | Anchorage | 58.5% |
Alaska schools with the lowest student-teacher ratios
Schools with 200+ students reporting the fewest students per teacher. Excludes virtual.| # | School | City | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whaley School | Anchorage | 6.4:1 |
| 2 | Fawn Mountain Elementary | Ketchikan | 10.0:1 |
| 3 | East Elementary | Kodiak | 10.4:1 |
| 4 | Tikigaq School | Point Hope | 10.9:1 |
| 5 | Point Higgins School | Ketchikan | 11.3:1 |
| 6 | Bethel Regional High School | Bethel | 11.4:1 |
| 7 | Rae C. Stedman Elementary | Petersburg | 11.9:1 |
| 8 | Houghtaling Elementary | Ketchikan | 11.9:1 |
| 9 | Dillingham Middle/High School | Dillingham | 12.1:1 |
| 10 | Nikiski North Star Elementary | Kenai | 12.1:1 |
| 11 | William H. Seward Elementary School | Seward | 12.2:1 |
| 12 | Meadow Lakes Elementary | Wasilla | 12.3:1 |
| 13 | Hermon Hutchens Elementary | Valdez | 12.5:1 |
| 14 | Schoenbar Middle School | Ketchikan | 12.6:1 |
| 15 | West Homer Elementary | Homer | 12.7:1 |
Fastest-growing Alaska public schools, 2017-2024
Schools open in both years with 200+ enrollment in 2017, ranked by % change.| # | School | City | Enrollment Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairbanks B.E.S.T. | Fairbanks | +169% |
| 2 | Raven School | Fairbanks | +143% |
| 3 | Frontier Charter School | Anchorage | +137% |
| 4 | CyberLynx Correspondence Program | Nenana | +110% |
| 5 | Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA) | Fairbanks | +86% |
| 6 | Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale | Juneau | +75% |
| 7 | PACE Correspondence | Craig | +74% |
| 8 | Aurora Elementary | JBER | +71% |
| 9 | Connections | Soldotna | +70% |
| 10 | Mat-Su Central School | Wasilla | +64% |
| 11 | Orion Elementary School | JBER | +56% |
| 12 | Family Partnership Correspondence School | Anchorage | +50% |
| 13 | Romig Middle School | Anchorage | +48% |
| 14 | FOCUS Homeschool | Anchorage | +46% |
| 15 | Randy Smith Middle School | Fairbanks | +40% |
Most racially diverse Alaska public schools
Schools ranked by how balanced their student body is. The largest single racial group's share of enrollment, lowest first.| # | School | City | Max group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bartlett High School | Anchorage | 17.5% Asian (250) |
| 2 | Willow Crest Elementary | Anchorage | 17.7% Hispanic (52) |
| 3 | Taku Elementary | Anchorage | 18.2% Two or more (47) |
| 4 | Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School | Anchorage | 18.6% Asian (305) |
| 5 | Ptarmigan Elementary | Anchorage | 19.6% Two or more (77) |
| 6 | Clark Middle School | Anchorage | 20.9% Pacific Islander (149) |
| 7 | Wendler Middle School | Anchorage | 21.1% Two or more (127) |
| 8 | Northwood ABC | Anchorage | 21.2% White (54) |
| 9 | Nicholas J. Begich Middle School | Anchorage | 21.8% Asian (181) |
| 10 | Central Middle School of Science | Anchorage | 21.8% White (119) |
| 11 | Russian Jack Elementary | Anchorage | 22.1% Hispanic (56) |
| 12 | Creekside Park Elementary | Anchorage | 22.1% Two or more (88) |
| 13 | Spring Hill Elementary | Anchorage | 22.3% Two or more (65) |
| 14 | Lake Otis Elementary | Anchorage | 23.5% Asian (62) |
| 15 | Benny Benson Alternative High School | Anchorage | 23.6% Native American (65) |
Largest Alaska public schools
Brick-and-mortar schools ranked by total enrollment. Virtual schools excluded.| # | School | City | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA) | Fairbanks | 7,876 |
| 2 | Raven School | Fairbanks | 3,687 |
| 3 | CyberLynx Correspondence Program | Nenana | 2,085 |
| 4 | West High School | Anchorage | 1,702 |
| 5 | Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School | Anchorage | 1,636 |
| 6 | Service High School | Anchorage | 1,518 |
| 7 | Bartlett High School | Anchorage | 1,431 |
| 8 | Dimond High School | Anchorage | 1,373 |
| 9 | South Anchorage High School | Anchorage | 1,239 |
| 10 | Connections | Soldotna | 1,188 |
| 11 | Romig Middle School | Anchorage | 1,138 |
| 12 | Colony High School | Palmer | 1,046 |
| 13 | Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kale | Juneau | 1,018 |
| 14 | Family Partnership Correspondence School | Anchorage | 1,008 |
| 15 | Chugiak High School | Chugiak | 928 |
Alaska schools underperforming demographics
Bottom 10% within state by BeatsExpectations. Not a verdict, a starting question. A school may be in leadership transition or recovering from a demographic shift.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whaley School | Anchorage | -31.2pp |
| 2 | Barrow High School | Utqiagvik | -28.8pp |
| 3 | Tikigaq School | Point Hope | -27.8pp |
| 4 | Eben Hopson Middle School | Utqiagvik | -27.0pp |
| 5 | Fred Ipalook Elementary | Utqiagvik | -25.4pp |
| 6 | Port Graham School | Port Graham | -21.7pp |
| 7 | Kaleidoscope School of Arts & Science | Kenai | -21.2pp |
| 8 | Lake Hood Elementary | Anchorage | -19.2pp |
| 9 | North Pole High School | North Pole | -19.1pp |
| 10 | Dimond High School | Anchorage | -19.0pp |
| 11 | Ketchikan High School | Ketchikan | -18.5pp |
| 12 | Service High School | Anchorage | -18.5pp |
| 13 | Effie Kokrine Charter School | Fairbanks | -18.4pp |
| 14 | Ayaprun Elitnaurvik | Bethel | -16.4pp |
| 15 | Kotzebue Middle/High School | Kotzebue | -16.2pp |
About these rankings
These tables use the most recent NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) for enrollment, demographics, and staffing, and state-native assessment data (typically 2023-24 or 2024-25) for proficiency. BeatsExpectations is computed via per-state ordinary-least-squares regression of composite proficiency on free-and-reduced-lunch share. Full methodology.
License: CC-BY 4.0. Reproduce these rankings anywhere with attribution to allk12.com. Press contact: [email protected].