Schools in Alaska have to deal with issues that those in most other states do not, including shutdowns due to extreme weather, decreasing enrollment, and budget issues. Considering all of the difficulties they face, it’s a marvel that the top five school districts in Alaska perform as well as they do. Let’s take a closer look at these five excellent districts. 

Juneau School District is the best public school district in the state of Alaska. Comprising thirteen schools serving an enrollment of 4,600 students, JSD is the fifth largest district in the state. Despite its large size, JSD boasts an above-average graduation rate and offers a Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy Program aimed at the 20% of the district’s students who are of Alaska Native Heritage. 

Alaska’s #2 school district is Kodiak Island Borough School District, a rural public school district located on Kodiak Island, the 2nd largest island in the United States. Although many of the villages served by the district are reachable only by boat or plane, students in the district manage to get to school and perform well, resulting in KIBSD’s 90% graduation rate. 

Third on the list of Alaska’s top five school districts in 2020 is Petersburg Borough School District, a relatively large district for the region comprising an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district’s graduation rate is higher than most others in the state. 

4th ranking Haines Borough School District consists of a K-6 division, a 7-12 division, and a home school division all in a single building. The district has received numerous honors and awards in the past decade, including a National Blue Ribbon award for the 2014-2015 school year, and in addition, many of its staff and faculty have earned statewide recognition for their excellent work.  

Rounding out the top five is Ketchikan Gateway Borough District, comprising eight high-performing schools in the Ketchikan area.

Top School Districts in Alaska, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.