Enrollment
127
Elementary
DISTRICT 344 · STATE 277
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 020051000721
Willow Elementary
31706 W Parks Hwy, Willow, AK 99688 · (907) 495-9300 · Matanuska-Susitna Borough
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL127 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.8:1 · STATE 15.3:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
66%
84 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 7 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 22 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 16 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 25 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 20 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 22 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (22) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (22).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
AK STAR + Alaska Science 2024-25 . % Advanced + ProficientEnglish Language Arts
37.1%
AK avg 36.1% . -8.5pp since 2023
Math
42.0%
AK avg 34.6% . -6.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the AK STAR + Alaska Science, Alaska's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Alaska schools, those numbers are about 36 and 35. Reading and writing scores are down about 9 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 7 points.
AK STAR + Alaska Science results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.1% | 42.0% |
| 2023-24 | 45.6% | 48.5% |
% Advanced + Proficient, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AK STAR + Alaska Science. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of AK schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
48.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
30.5%
based on AK schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+17.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 48% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 30% typical for Alaska schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 17 points, placing it in Alaska's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Willow Elementary
Willow Elementary's state test result (48.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Elementary this school | 127 | 66.1% | 48.0% |
| Talkeetna Elementary Talkeetna | 121 | 62.8% | 42.3% |
| Tustumena Elementary Kasilof | 155 | 56.8% | 54.0% |
| Haines Elementary Haines | 153 | 55.6% | 46.7% |
| Chapman School Anchor Point | 168 | 51.2% | 48.3% |
| McNeil Canyon Elementary Homer | 144 | 47.2% | 56.0% |
Matched among Alaska elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Willow Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Alaska | In Matanuska-Susitna Borough |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 48.0% | #46 of 134 | #9 of 19 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #68 of 150 ▼ 25 | #15 of 23 ▼ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.1% | #80 of 150 ▼ 37 | #19 of 23 ▼ 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 127 | #151 of 169 | #24 of 27 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 66.1% | #35 of 142 | #2 of 21 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
127
+12 (+10%) vs 2020
-36% since 2000-01, when it was 200
Student : Teacher
12.7:1
was 12.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 127 | 10 | 12.7:1 | 66% (84) |
| 2023-24 | 119 | 10.3 | 11.6:1 | 77% (92) |
| 2022-23 | 135 | 10 | 13.5:1 | 65% (88) |
| 2020-21 | 115 | 9 | 12.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 155 | 10.5 | 14.7:1 | 63% (97) |
| 2015-16 | 153 | 10 | 15.3:1 | 48% (73) |
| 2010-11 | 130 | 11 | 11.8:1 | 58% (75) |
| 2000-01 | 200 | 14 | 14.3:1 | 57% (114) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Willow Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 18% (155 to 127); teachers down 5% (10.5 to 10).
About Willow Elementary
Families in Willow, Alaska, are served by Willow Elementary, a small elementary school. The latest federal count shows 127 students in pre-K through 5. Against the 277-student average for elementary schools in Alaska, enrollment here is 54% lower.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District operates 49 schools. Combined enrollment is 19,495 students.
At 76%, White students outnumber all other groups at Willow Elementary combined. Smaller groups are 13% multiracial, 7% Native American, and 3% Hispanic. The county population is about 77% White, within a few points of the school. By the diversity index, Willow Elementary comes in at 40%.
Willow Elementary counts 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 12.7 students for each one. The 15.3:1 average for elementary schools in Alaska is higher than this school's figure. About 66% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. It compares with 45% for public schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests, 48.0%, is 17.5 points above the 30.5% the model predicts from its free or reduced-price lunch share. That result is in the top 10% of Alaska schools.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough census figures show that median household income is about $94,031, roughly 24% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 7%. Willow Elementary is among the 49 public schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Beryozova School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 4.0 miles away. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Willow Elementary at 1st of 5.
The NCES locale for Willow Elementary is Rural: Distant, which covers schools in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Willow Elementary saw enrollment rise 10% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Willow Elementary covering things like enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
112,988
Census ACS
Median income
$94,031
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
24%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
49
19,495 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
- Mat-Su Central SchoolCombined · 2,780 students
- Colony High SchoolHigh · 1,046 students
- Wasilla High SchoolHigh · 816 students
- Colony Middle SchoolElementary · 771 students
- Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High SchoolHigh · 705 students
- Teeland Middle SchoolElementary · 643 students
Other Willow Elementary schools
8 other US public schools in 4 states are named Willow Elementary. Willow Elementary is the 9th largest of the 9.
- Willow ElementarySan Ysidro, CA · 643 students
- Willow Elementary SchoolDENVER, CO · 596 students
- Willow ElementaryAgoura, CA · 510 students
- Willow ElementaryNapa, CA · 472 students
- Willow ElementarySouth Gate, CA · 420 students
Nearby schools
- Beryozova School4.0 mi · 39
- Houston High School13.9 mi · 337
- Houston Middle School14.0 mi · 318
- Big Lake Elementary15.9 mi · 362
- Meadow Lakes Elementary16.6 mi · 308
- Midnight Sun Family Learning Center16.8 mi · 189
Frequently asked questions
About Willow ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Willow Elementary?
Willow Elementary enrolls approximately 127 students in grades PK-05.
Is Willow Elementary an elementary, middle, or high school?
Willow Elementary is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Willow Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Willow Elementary is approximately 12.7:1 (10 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Willow Elementary?
Willow Elementary reports a student body of 76% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 13% Two or more.
Who oversees Willow Elementary?
Willow Elementary is overseen by Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.