School Choice
Virtual Districts Are the Only Ones Growing in Alaska
Three correspondence districts added 5,880 students since 2020 while traditional districts lost thousands. Even Mat-Su's apparent growth is driven by a new virtual program.
Alaska
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Alaska, grounded in Alaska Department of Education data.
For Every 100 Seniors, Alaska Has Only 84 Kindergartners
Alaska's kindergarten enrollment has fallen 15% since 2020 while 12th grade hit an all-time high, creating a pipeline inversion that will accelerate decline for years.
Every Year, Alaska Gains Seniors It Never Lost
Alaska's 12th grade class consistently outnumbers the prior year's 11th graders, driven by correspondence school re-entry and credit recovery.
Six Alaska Districts Have Fewer Than 100 Students
From Pelican's 16 students to the Pribilof Islands' 56, Alaska's smallest districts face existential questions about whether they can keep their doors open.
Alaska Never Actually Recovered
Alaska's post-COVID enrollment gains were an illusion. The state is now 3,272 students below pre-pandemic levels, and correspondence growth masked deeper traditional losses.
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Demographics
Alaska's Black Student Population Shrinks Nearly 20% in Six Years
Black enrollment fell from 3,317 to 2,669 since 2020, the steepest decline of any racial group and nearly eight times the statewide rate.
District Spotlight
Fairbanks Closed Three Schools. It Was Not Enough.
Fairbanks lost 2,017 students in seven years, closed three schools, and still faces a structural deficit. The decline is accelerating.
Enrollment
Half of Alaska's Districts Hit Record Lows
Twenty-nine of Alaska's districts are at their smallest enrollment ever recorded, including both Anchorage and Fairbanks. Together they hold 66% of the state's students.
School Choice
One in Nine Alaska Students Now Learns by Mail
Three rural districts host correspondence programs enrolling 14,379 students statewide. As traditional schools close, this parallel system keeps growing.
Demographics
Alaska Loses One in 20 Native Students in Seven Years
Alaska Native enrollment fell from 27,709 to 26,356 since 2020, a 4.9% decline that accounts for 41% of the state's total enrollment loss.
District Spotlight
Anchorage Lost More Students Than All of Alaska
Anchorage shed 4,530 students in seven years, exceeding the entire state's enrollment decline. Three schools will close and 300 teaching positions will be cut.
Enrollment
Alaska Enrollment Hits Seven-Year Low
Alaska public school enrollment fell to 125,317 in 2025-26, a new low in the dataset, as 29 of 53 districts hit record-low enrollment and outmigration enters its 13th year.
Enrollment
Alaska Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
DEED releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing Alaska at a seven-year low of 125,317 students.