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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 020051000759

DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

7068 S Knik Knack Mud Shack Road, Wasilla, AK 99623 · (907) 864-5600 · Matanuska-Susitna Borough
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL396 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of Alaska public elementary schools
  • BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Alaska public elementary schools

Enrollment
396
Elementary
DISTRICT 344 · STATE 277
Student : Teacher
15.2:1
26 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 15.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
182 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K338%
Kindergarten5414%
Grade 16516%
Grade 26015%
Grade 36917%
Grade 44712%
Grade 56817%

This year's kindergarten class (54) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (68).

Student demographics
62%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 71% · US 70%
White
22056%
DISTRICT 67% · STATE 47% · US 43%
Hispanic
359%
DISTRICT 8% · STATE 8% · US 30%
Asian
31%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5% · US 6%
Two+
9424%
DISTRICT 16% · STATE 14% · US 5%
Native American
4311%
DISTRICT 7% · STATE 22% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
10%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 3% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
21554%
Female
18146%

Discussions

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Test scores

AK STAR + Alaska Science 2024-25 . % Advanced + Proficient
English Language Arts
43.1%
AK avg 36.1% . +9.8pp since 2023
Math
51.4%
AK avg 34.6% . +11.3pp since 2023

What this means: On the AK STAR + Alaska Science, Alaska's statewide test, about 43 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 51 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alaska schools, those numbers are about 36 and 35. Reading and writing scores are up about 10 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 11 points.

AK STAR + Alaska Science results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2543.1%51.4%
2023-2433.3%40.1%
% Advanced + Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AK STAR + Alaska Science. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.5%
based on AK schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 46% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 38% typical for Alaska schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Alaska's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL's state test result (45.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school39646.0%45.8%
Swanson Elementary
Palmer
34847.7%N/A
Snowshoe Elementary
Wasilla
34647.7%52.5%
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Soldotna
38445.1%44.4%
Ticasuk Brown Elementary
Fairbanks
35140.2%29.9%
Finger Lake Elementary
Wasilla
44541.3%45.8%
Matched among Alaska elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn AlaskaIn Matanuska-Susitna Borough
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
45.8%#55 of 134#11 of 19
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
51.4%#40 of 150
▲ 31
#7 of 23
▲ 11
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
43.1%#60 of 150
▲ 24
#13 of 23
▲ 7
Enrollment
ranked largest first
396#22 of 169#10 of 27
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
15.2:1#46 of 125#9 of 22
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
61.5%#62 of 125#2 of 22
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
46.0%#67 of 142#12 of 21
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-2.0%#114 of 115#14 of 14
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
396
+37 (+10%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
15.2:1
was 14.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-253962615.2:146% (182)
2023-243842614.8:185% (327)
2022-234352517.4:174% (320)
2020-213592514.4:1N/A
2017-1840423.417.3:143% (175)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

Since 2017-18: students down 2% (404 to 396); teachers up 11% (23.4 to 26).

About DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Families in Wasilla, Alaska, are served by DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, a mid-sized elementary school. The school counted 396 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 5. That is 43% larger than the average of about 277 students for elementary schools in Alaska.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District serves 19,495 students across 49 schools.

At DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 56% of students are White. Smaller groups are 24% multiracial, 11% Native American, and 9% Hispanic. For comparison, the population of Matanuska-Susitna Borough is roughly 77% White. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL scores 62%.

Based on 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL has a ratio of 15.2:1. That is in line with the 15.3:1 average for elementary schools in Alaska. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 46%. The average for public schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough is similar, at 45%.

DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL holds a B allk12 Grade, placing it above 61% of Alaska public elementary schools.

DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL scores 45.8% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 37.5%.

Five-year Census Bureau estimates for Matanuska-Susitna Borough show that median household income comes to about $94,031, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. The county's public schools total 49, with about 19,495 students.

Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School, is about 0.4 miles. There are 3 other public schools within five miles. Of the 7 nearby schools with scores, including this one, DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is 2nd on average proficiency.

For locale, NCES codes DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL as Rural: Fringe.

Enrollment in 2024-25 stood at 396, compared with 359 in 2020-21.

Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. You can also rate the school on this page.

Matanuska-Susitna Borough at a glance

View full county profile
Population
112,988
Census ACS
Median income
$94,031
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
49
19,495 students

Quick facts

School name
DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
District
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Address
7068 S Knik Knack Mud Shack Road, Wasilla, AK 99623
Phone
(907) 864-5600
County
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–05
Total enrollment
396
Teachers (FTE)
26
Student–teacher ratio
15.2:1
Free and reduced lunch
182 (46%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
020051000759
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Other schools in Wasilla
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
How large is DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 396 students in grades PK-05.
What grades does DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is approximately 15.2:1 (26 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 56% White, 9% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 24% Two or more.
What district is DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in?
DENA'INA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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