Palmer Middle School

Located at 1159 S Chugach, in Palmer, Alaska, Palmer Middle School is a reasonably sized junior high that enrolls 563 students (grades 6 through 8), overseen by Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. That puts it 41% above the typical public school in Alaska, which averages around 399 students.

Across the 49 schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (19,495 students total), Palmer Middle School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Palmer Middle School lists that 67% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder consists of 16% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, 7% Native American. By comparison, Matanuska-Susitna Borough as a whole is about 77% White, so the school skews visibly less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Palmer Middle School lists 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.9:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 44% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, Palmer Middle School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 38.0%, the actual is 39.6%, a residual of +1.6 points.

Across the wider county, Matanuska-Susitna Borough reports that the typical household earns roughly $94,031 per year, 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Matanuska-Susitna Borough runs 49 public schools (combined enrollment of about 19,495 students), of which Palmer Middle School is one.

The closest other public school is Mat-Su Secondary School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a bedroom-community site.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Palmer Middle School has showed little movement, going from 572 students in 2018 to 563 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.