Point Higgins School

Set in Ketchikan, Alaska, Point Higgins School is a modestly sized elementary campus, overseen by Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. It hosts 204 students across grades pre-K through 6. By comparison, Alaska's public schools average about 277 students each, so Point Higgins School sits 26% leaner than that benchmark.

Across the 9 schools in Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District (2,043 students total), Point Higgins School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Point Higgins School records that the largest single group is White, at 70% of enrollment. The remainder is composed of 18% Native American, 7% multiracial.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 18 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 15.3:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 22% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably below Ketchikan Gateway Borough's rate of about 38%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Point Higgins School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 45.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 43.4%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Ketchikan Gateway Borough indicate median household income runs about $92,885, 27% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Ketchikan Gateway Borough runs 9 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,043 students), of which Point Higgins School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Houghtaling Elementary, around 9.6 miles off. Within ten miles, there are 4 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 31%: 295 students in 2018 compared to 204 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 17.9:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, members of the Point Higgins School community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.