Shishmaref School

Shishmaref School, a reasonably sized combined-grade school in Shishmaref, Alaska, operated by Bering Strait School District, teaches 185 students, covering grades pre-K through 12.

Within Bering Strait School District, which oversees 15 schools and 1,745 students, Shishmaref School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Shishmaref School lists that nearly all students (100%) are Native American.

Looking at school resources, The school lists 13 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.2:1. The state averages around 27.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 102% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

With demographic context factored in, Shishmaref School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 18.2%, the actual is 4.5%, a residual of -13.6 points.

In the surrounding community, census data for Nome Census Area shows median household earnings sit near $78,681, roughly 14% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Nome Census Area's 19 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,417 students), Shishmaref School is one campus in the mix.

The school occupies a rural site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count decreased 7%: 200 students in 2018 compared to 185 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 11.0:1 in 2018 to 14.2:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Shishmaref School typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.