Schools in Petersville · Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Petersville’s public schools beat 86% of Alaska districts
The public schools Petersville’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 86% of Alaska’s districts on state tests and graduation.
Reading proficiency
50%
▲ 11 pts vs AK 40%
2020–21
Math proficiency
42%
▲ 10 pts vs AK 32%
2020–21
Graduate on time
86%
▲ 7 pts vs AK 79%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$17.2K
▼ 18% vs AK $21.1K
FY2024
Schools
0
In brief
The short version on Petersville’s schools
Strong results on a lean budget
Petersville spends 18% less per student than the state average. Even so, its schools beat 86% of Alaska districts. Test scores ↓
Which school depends on your street
With 26 elementary and ten middle schools, the school a child attends depends on your address. Elementary grades range from D to A+, so it’s worth checking the specific school, not just the town. See the path ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Test scores are from 2020–21, a pandemic year, so treat small gaps with caution.
The School Grade
How Petersville compares
A− Test scoresA Graduation
Alaska school districts we grade (49)Better than 86%
Lower resultsHigher results
High confidence. Built on 6,675 tested students and a graduating class of 1,290; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change the grade.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Alaska’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of Alaska only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Petersville.
22 schools teach Pre-K in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
26 schools teach K in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
26 schools teach 1st grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
26 schools teach 2nd grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
24 schools teach 3rd grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
24 schools teach 4th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
24 schools teach 5th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, John Shaw Elementary and Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School and more.
10 schools teach 6th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, Wasilla Middle School and Palmer Middle School and more.
10 schools teach 7th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, Wasilla Middle School and Palmer Middle School and more.
11 schools teach 8th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony Middle School, Teeland Middle School, Wasilla Middle School and Palmer Middle School and more.
10 schools teach 9th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony High School, Wasilla High School, Palmer High School and Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School and more.
10 schools teach 10th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony High School, Wasilla High School, Palmer High School and Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School and more.
10 schools teach 11th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony High School, Wasilla High School, Palmer High School and Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School and more.
10 schools teach 12th grade in Petersville’s district. Which one depends on your address: Colony High School, Wasilla High School, Palmer High School and Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School and more.
The path, start to finish
PK–526 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–1210 schoolsDepends on your address
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Test scores · 2020–21
Well above the state in reading
Reading50%
State average 39.5%
Math42%
State average 32.3%
Every school in Petersville
0 schools. Grades are based on state tests and graduation. Any other ratings are made by neighbors.
Also serving Petersville · in other towns
Colony Middle School
B+771 students21:1Rate it →
Teeland Middle School
A−643 students18:1Rate it →
John Shaw Elementary
A−507 students16:1Rate it →
Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School
A468 students18:1Rate it →
Pioneer Peak Elementary
A+449 students15:1Rate it →
Finger Lake Elementary
A−445 students16:1Rate it →
Iditarod Elementary
B424 students16:1Rate it →
Cottonwood Creek Elementary
A−422 students16:1Rate it →
Dena'ina Elementary School
B+396 students15:1Rate it →
Sherrod Elementary
A−383 students17:1Rate it →
Big Lake Elementary
B362 students16:1Rate it →
Swanson Elementary
348 students13:1Rate it →
Parents talk
What Petersville families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Petersville? Is an A for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Start the conversation
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within Alaska. Stars are from neighbors.