Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives

Alaska

496 Schools54 Districts131K Students
$36,093
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+152% nat'l
53.1%
Free Lunch Rate
≈ nat'l avg
72.5%
Graduation Rate
-14.0pp vs nat'l
31/100
Opportunity Score
Limited
⇄ Compare Alaska with another state
About Alaska Public Schools

Alaska operates one of the most geographically complex school systems in the world, serving students across 54 regional school districts spanning tundra, rainforest, and remote island communities — many accessible only by small plane. The state's unique funding formula accounts for cost-of-living differentials and remote delivery, yet rural Native Alaskan communities continue to face persistent achievement gaps and teacher retention challenges. Anchorage School District, the state's largest, enrolls roughly a third of all students and mirrors a mid-sized urban district in resources and diversity. Alaska does not levy a state income tax, making school funding unusually sensitive to oil revenues and federal impact aid. The state is one of only a few to use the PEAKS assessment alongside the ACT for high school accountability.

State Snapshot
State BoardAlaska State Board of Education and Early Development
AssessmentPEAKS / ACT (high school)
Compulsory Ages7–16
School CalendarSome districts use trimester calendars; rural schools may vary significantly
Total Enrollment130,588
Public Schools496
Neighboring States
Washington
Largest District
Anchorage School District
44K students
Highest Per-Pupil
Aleutian Region School District
$99,625/student
Top Graduation Rate
Mount Edgecumbe
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (54)
Per-pupil spending in Alaska ranges from $6,074 to $99,625 across districts with available data. State avg: $36,093.
DistrictSchoolsStudentsPer-PupilGrad RateFree LunchOpp.
Large Districts — 10,000+ Students
Anchorage School District9644K$18,698↓48%85.3%↑18%40.0%↓25%41
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District4720K$18,753↓48%83.1%↑15%33.7%↓37%36
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District3313K$19,103↓47%80.9%↑12%32.2%↓39%30
Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District428,528$20,460↓43%85.0%↑17%32.5%↓39%41
Galena City School District47,177$6,074↓83%74.4%3.5%↓93%28
Juneau Borough School District154,338$21,895↓39%89.4%↑23%26.5%↓50%38
Lower Kuskokwim School District293,970$50,669↑40%58.8%↓19%91.9%↑73%24
Yukon-Koyukuk School District103,100$12,847↓64%47.0%↓35%9.7%↓82%28
Kodiak Island Borough School District122,228$25,598↓29%75.1%50.9%42
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District92,074$23,651↓34%77.6%↑7%37.1%↓30%—
North Slope Borough School District112,044$40,367↑12%70.6%40.0%↓25%28
Lower Yukon School District112,035$41,734↑16%63.2%↓13%99.7%↑88%21
Northwest Arctic Borough School District131,911$57,541↑59%64.9%↓10%97.0%↑83%23
Nenana City School District21,858$8,877↓75%37.3%↓49%6.9%↓87%30
Bering Strait School District151,830$45,373↑26%70.1%96.8%↑82%23
Sitka School District61,120$25,423↓30%92.0%↑27%34.5%↓35%41
Small Districts — Fewer than 1,000 Students
Delta/Greely School District5938$17,051↓53%74.8%23.6%↓56%45
Denali Borough School District4912$11,210↓69%73.3%1.0%↓98%32
Nome Public Schools4719$26,131↓28%84.5%↑17%96.7%↑82%23
Craig City School District4668$13,948↓61%38.6%↓47%26.4%↓50%31
Valdez City School District4653$28,951↓20%92.5%↑28%33.8%↓36%—
Chugach School District4637$13,627↓62%64.5%↓11%1.9%↓96%41
Southwest Region School District8631$47,080↑30%67.5%↓7%99.8%↑88%27
Yupiit School District3471$41,571↑15%49.3%↓32%100.0%↑88%24
Petersburg Borough School District3438$25,875↓28%92.5%↑28%2.0%↓96%45
Dillingham City School District2420$36,05274.5%100.0%↑88%27
Mount Edgecumbe1407$31,633↓12%97.5%↑35%79.4%↑49%41
Copper River School District5400$23,032↓36%85.0%↑17%33.5%↓37%—
Alaska Gateway School District8386$41,960↑16%67.5%↓7%92.0%↑73%40
Unalaska City School District2346$31,336↓13%92.5%↑28%19.4%↓64%34
Cordova City School District3340$24,307↓33%85.0%↑17%72.1%↑36%—
Kashunamiut School District1339$37,09269.5%100.0%↑88%21
Lake and Peninsula Borough School District13334$61,117↑69%—80.2%↑51%31
Kuspuk School District9318$71,788↑99%67.5%↓7%91.5%↑72%23
Annette Island School District3311$44,226↑23%85.0%↑17%87.5%↑65%28
Iditarod Area School District8306$35,10867.5%↓7%7.8%↓85%28
Wrangell Public School District3264$23,069↓36%85.0%↑17%3.4%↓94%39
Haines Borough School District3262$27,860↓23%67.5%↓7%46.6%↓12%45
Aleutians East Borough School District4211$60,981↑69%67.5%↓7%5.7%↓89%35
Saint Mary's School District1203$36,89567.5%↓7%100.0%↑88%21
Yukon Flats School District6197$76,690↑112%67.5%↓7%87.3%↑64%24
Southeast Island School District8170$59,619↑65%67.5%↓7%62.4%↑17%31
Skagway School District1152$27,486↓24%—2.0%↓96%49
Chatham School District4147$42,957↑19%67.5%↓7%51.7%45
Klawock City School District2124$37,13367.5%↓7%100.0%↑88%29
Hydaburg City School District2121$40,600↑12%67.5%↓7%57.0%↑7%31
Bristol Bay Borough School District3121$59,549↑65%67.5%↓7%91.7%↑73%32
Hoonah City School District1112$33,317↓8%67.5%↓7%65.2%↑23%—
Kake City School District1111$42,340↑17%67.5%↓7%92.8%↑75%31
Yakutat School District292$26,760↓26%67.5%↓7%6.5%↓88%17
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.