A
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 3 towns
Serves Wasilla, Palmer and Houston.
Students
19,495
Schools
49
Spent per student
$17,238
AK $21,070
Students per teacher
19:1
Free or reduced lunch
45%
Debt
$239.5M
fiscal 2024
What stands out about Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
- School Grade A: better than 86% of Alaska districts
- Math proficiency 10 pts above the state
- Reading / language arts 11 pts above the state
- Graduation rate (4-year) 7 pts above the state
- Spends 18% less per student than the AK average
- 19 students per teacher
- Enrollment up 7% since 2020
- Debt of $239.5M, about $12,283 per student
Where would my kid go?
The school path for Tanaina.
Test scores vs. AK
2020–21Math proficiency42%
State average 32.3%
Reading / language arts50%
State average 39.5%
Graduation rate (4-year)86%
State average 79.1%
Where the money goes
fiscal 2024$17,238 per student · 18% below AK
Spending
Classroom instruction 55%Support & administration 42%Other 3%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 23%State 65%Federal 13%
U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.
Enrollment over time
18,220’20
19,319’21
19,705’22
19,421’23
19,495’24
Up 7% since 2020.
Students
White 67%Two or more races 16%Hispanic 8%American Indian/Alaska Native 7%Asian <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%Black <1%
Schools in the district
49 public schools.
Colony Middle School
B+771 students21:1
Teeland Middle School
A−643 students18:1
John Shaw Elementary
A−507 students16:1
Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary School
A468 students18:1
Pioneer Peak Elementary
A+449 students15:1
Finger Lake Elementary
A−445 students16:1
Iditarod Elementary
B424 students16:1
Cottonwood Creek Elementary
A−422 students16:1
Birchtree Charter School
B+416 students18:1
Dena'ina Elementary School
B+396 students15:1
Sherrod Elementary
A−383 students17:1
Big Lake Elementary
B362 students16:1
Swanson Elementary
348 students13:1
Snowshoe Elementary
A−346 students15:1
Fronteras Charter School
C+336 students18:1
Tanaina Elementary
B324 students15:1
Larson Elementary
A−319 students15:1
Meadow Lakes Elementary
C+308 students12:1
Goose Bay Elementary
305 students15:1
Academy Charter School
A+268 students13:1
Butte Elementary
B+263 students13:1
Knik Elementary School
A−263 students16:1
Midnight Sun Family Learning Center
A189 students24:1
Willow Elementary
A127 students13:1
Talkeetna Elementary
A−121 students12:1
Sutton Elementary
B−54 students11:1
Trapper Creek Elementary
18 students18:1
Wasilla Middle School
B584 students20:1
Palmer Middle School
B−563 students19:1
Houston Middle School
318 students14:1
Colony High School
B−1,046 students20:1
Wasilla High School
C+816 students18:1
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School
A+705 students17:1
Palmer High School
B616 students17:1
Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School
B497 students16:1
Houston High School
C+337 students13:1
Susitna Valley High
B233 students15:1
Mat-Su Middle College School
D−222 students111:1
Burchell High School
C−200 students17:1
Mat-Su Secondary School
10 students10:1
Mat-Su Central School
A−2,780 students99:1
Twindly Bridge Charter School
A−601 students109:1
American Charter Academy
A+193 students16:1
Knik Charter School
189 students13:1
Valley Pathways
C143 students14:1
Mat-Su Day School
D70 students5:1
Beryozova School
C+39 students20:1
Knik Charter Correspondence School
34 students34:1
Glacier View School
24 students7:1
Towns served
District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES directory and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: EDFacts via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. Neighbor ratings are opinions.