Fred Ipalook Elementary

Fred Ipalook Elementary, a high-enrollment elementary-level community in Utqiagvik, Alaska, one of the schools within North Slope Borough School District, enrolls 494 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 277 students per school, that is 78% above typical.

Fred Ipalook Elementary is one of 11 schools operated by North Slope Borough School District, a district that hosts 1,853 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Fred Ipalook Elementary logs that 62% of the student body identifies as Native American. Beyond that, the school logs 22% multiracial, 7% Asian, 6% Pacific Islander, 2% White.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.4:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 15.3:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 30% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against North Slope Borough (around 40%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Fred Ipalook Elementary falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 43.0%; this one comes in at 17.6%, -25.4 points off the demographic line.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (North Slope Borough) shows that median household income runs about $95,694, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, North Slope Borough runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,853 students), of which Fred Ipalook Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Barrow High School, roughly 0.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 30%: 704 students in 2018 compared to 494 in 2025. Class-load math has fell: from 18.5:1 in 2018 to 15.4:1 in 2025.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.