Hanshew Middle School

Located at 10121 Lake Otis Pkwy, in Anchorage, Alaska, Hanshew Middle School is a sprawling intermediate school that educates 822 students (grades 6 through 8), run under Anchorage School District. Enrollment runs roughly 106% larger than the state mean of about 399.

Anchorage School District runs 92 schools in total, collectively educating 40,587 students. Hanshew Middle School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Hanshew Middle School reports that the largest single group is White at 29%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 21% multiracial, 13% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 12% Native American. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 57%.

On the resource side, On paper, Hanshew Middle School has 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 33.1:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 39% of students at Hanshew Middle School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Anchorage Municipality (around 49%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Hanshew Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 39.9%; this one delivers 26.8%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Anchorage Municipality) records that median household earnings sit near $103,284, about 39% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Anchorage Municipality runs 99 public schools (combined enrollment of about 41,241 students), of which Hanshew Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Spring Hill Elementary, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Hanshew Middle School's enrollment has expanded 21% since 2018, when it stood at 682 (now 822). Over the same period, the White share decreased from 38% to 29%. Class-load math has grew: from 17.3:1 in 2018 to 33.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.