Alaska is home to some of the best schools in the US. You will find schools all the way from elementary to college with top facilities in the state. Some of the richest colleges in the state have a total tuition fee as high as $30,260 per term which is pretty high. Alaska Pacific University is a good example of one of the richest universities with a rich history in the state.
Most of the richest schools are located in high-income geographical areas. Areas with an average of $112,521 household income have some of the wealthiest schools in the State.
So if you’re looking for the richest schools in Alaska, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading as we break down the schools in Alaska where educating your child costs a pretty penny, their performances, and the student-to-teacher ratio.
Elementary
Eagle Academy Charter School
10901 Mausel St Ste 101, Eagle River, AK 99577
Eagle Academy Charter School is one of the richest and best elementary schools in Alaska. The school is located in the mid-size city setting of Eagle River. Eagle Academy serves K-6 and has a total population of 164 students.
This is one of the top elementary schools in Alaska in terms of performance, student preparation, and graduation. It’s a charter school that receives its funding from the state making it tuition-free.
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However, the school ranks as one of the richest in Alaska with excellent facilities. Performances are also top with over 92 students scoring at or above average in math and 82% scoring at or above average for reading.
The school has 49% female students and 49% male students with 9 equivalent full-time teachers. The school offers some of the most academically challenging programs. Students are required to master the performance of certain standards before they can progress.
Bayshore Elementary
10500 Bayshore Drive Anchorage, AK 99515
Bayshore Elementary is a public elementary school located in Anchorage Alaska. It’s a pretty large school in an urban setting serving pupils in PK-6. The school has a total population of 358 students.
It’s a top-performing school where over 83% of students perform at or above the proficient level for math and 74% score at or above the level of reading. The school is very diverse with a minority enrolment of 59%.
Bayshore Elementary also boasts a better student-teacher ratio of 15:1 which is pretty good than most district schools. There is a total of 24 equivalent full-time teachers. The school has 49% female students and 51% male students.
The school ranks second in Anchorage district schools and 2nd in Alaska elementary schools. Out of the 153 Alaska elementary schools, Bayshore ranks 4th in reading readiness and 2nd in math proficiency.
Aurora Elementary
3420 9th Street West, West Fargo ND 58078
Aurora Elementary is a large public school located in the urban setting of Jber, AK. The school serves PK-6 pupils of the local urban community. It’s a pretty rich and advanced school with an average student population of 250 students.
It's the third-best elementary school in Anchorage district elementary schools and 3rd overall in Alaska elementary schools. The school performs well and engages in several extracurricular activities.
Aurora Elementary enjoy one of the best student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. There are 19 equivalent teachers in the school. The gender is also balanced with 50% girls and 50% boys. The minority student enrolment is 46%.
Middle Schools
Northern Lights Abc K-8 School
2424 East Dowling Rd, Anchorage, AK 99507
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Northern Lights Abc K-8 School is another wealthy middle school in Alaska. The school was established in 1978 as an alternative educational program.
The school founders embraced a philosophy of back-to-basics education.
It’s a decent school that focuses a strong emphasis on citizenship, values, discipline, patriotism, and character education. The school is located in an urban setting and serves PK-8.
The school population stands at 566 students making it one of the largest middle schools in the area. It’s a well-performing school with 63% of the students scoring at or above proficient levels in math. 70% of the students also score at or over reading levels.
The school-student ratio is 17 which is still okay considering the student population. There are 54% female and 46% male students and a 66% minority enrolment.
This is the top-most ranked middle school in Alaska on state-test requirements, graduation, and college preparation. It’s a great school where parents, teachers, and students work together in a common goal of educating children in the area.
Mitkof Middle School
500 N First St, Petersburg, AK 99833
Located in Petersburg, AK, Mitkof is one of the best and richest middle schools. It’s one of the best schools in a remote area. The school has a population of 101 and serves grades 6-8.
It’s a top-performing school with over 57% of the student performing at or above proficient levels in math. Over 72% of the students also perform at or over the reading level.
Mitkof has one of the best student-teacher ratios of 1:2. There are 8 equivalent full-time teachers in the school. The school offers excellent college preparation and state-required tests.
The school has a 38% minority enrolment. There are 45% female students and 55% male students. Mitkof ranks second as the best middle school in all of Alaska middle schools.
Ladd Elementary
601 F Street Fairbanks, AK 99701
Ladd Elementary is another top middle school in Fairbanks, AK. It’s a rich school in a small urban setting. The school has a population of 291 students and a student-teacher ratio of 12. The ratio is pretty much better than most district schools in Alaska.
The school has a 49% minority student enrolment, 46% female and 54% male students. The school has a total of about 24 full-time students. There is even one full-time school counselor.
Ladd Elementary ranks third in Alaska middle schools with excellent performances. Over 45% of the students perform at or above proficient levels in math while 51% of students perform at or above reading level.
High Schools
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School
2472 N Seward Meridian Wasilla, AK 99654
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Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School is one of the best and wealthiest high schools in Alaska. Opened in 2007, this is a career-readiness high school that focuses on college preparedness and technical skills.
In the school, students with choose electives in a career pathway they will take in college. There are a total of 8 pathways. These are Building, Human Services, Health, Natural Resources, Business, Fitness, Tourism, and Transportation.
The school ranks 1st of all the Alaska high schools in performance on the state-required tests, college preparation, and graduation. It has a good local and national ranking. The school's total enrolment is 753 students with a gender distribution of 54% female and 46% male.
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School is rated by Niche as one of the best high schools in Alaska. It also boasts a high enrolment rate and a diverse body of students. It has a 74.9 Non-Hispanic White population compared to 66.2-71.1% of most Valley schools.
Petersburg High School
109 Charles W St, Petersburg, AK 99833
Petersburg High School is another rich school in Alaska with a rich history dating back 1900s. The school is located in a small rural area called Peterburg on Mitkof Island in Southeast Alaska. Children used to learn in the Icicle Seafoods mess hall.
The current middle high school was built in the 1940s and operated until 1985. In 1985, the current high school was built and stands up to now. The school has enjoyed a lot of success in academics, athletics, and several extra-co curricular activities. The school's notable participation in extracurricular activities includes:
- 2A Boys Basketball Champs 2017
- 2A Girls Cross Country Champs 2017
- 2A Boys Basketball Champs 2016
Petersburg is a class 2A school with several activities. Common activities include cross country, swim and dive, basketball, wrestling, drama, baseball, cheerleading, track and field etc.
Cordova Jr/Sr High School
100 Fisherman Ave, Cordova, Alaska
Cordova Jr/Sr High School is another top school in Alaska catering to the local community. The average cost of living for the local community is $44,914 a year for housing, transportation, health care, transportation, taxes, and other necessities.
Alaska public school financial data see the school spends up to $25,091 per student. The school’s level of funding totals up to $19,862. The local funds are $17,100 while the Federal funds are $2,762.
Cordova is ranked as the third-best high school in Alaska and 1,794 nationally. The rankings are based on the state-required tests, graduation, and college preparedness.
It’s a wealthy school with excellent facilities to offer students the best college preparations. Students have the opportunity to take advanced placement exams and coursework.
This is one of the few schools with a large minority enrollment. The school diversity has 50.4% minority, 49.6% white, 21.5% Asian, 18.2% Alaska Native, etc. There are also 60% male and 40% female students.
Overall, this is a top school in Alaska with a state median 97% graduation rate. It’s one of the few best high schools in a rural setting. It’s one of the two schools in the district with a total student population of about 146.
Universities/Colleges
Alaska Pacific University
4101 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Alaska Pacific University is a private non-profit university in Alaska that’s fully accredited. While it’s a non-profit University, it’s one of the richest in the region. The university tuition fees are among the most expensive with an instate total cost of over $30K.
The tuition fees for the academic year 2021/2022 were $20,350 for a full academic year. The cost is 33% cheaper than most national non-profit private universities. However, it’s 84% more expensive in Alaska where the average tuition fee is $11K.
The university was established in 1957 and called Alaska Methodist University. There was a name change in 1978 to the Alaska Pacific University. However, the university still retains its association with the Methodist church.
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This is a state-of-the-art university with excellent academic facilities, community gathering space, residence halls, and many more. It also offers multiple housing accommodations on the main campus.
The university is hugely known for its Nordic ski team which sent four skiers to the 1972 Winter Olympics.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
1731 South Chandalar Dr. Fairbanks, AK 99775
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is one rich university with a rich history. It was first established in 1917, 42 years before Alaska became a state.
The university first opened in 1922 as the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines. It changed its name to the University of Alaska, awarding its first Ph.D. in 1955.
It’s a lightly selective university with a good acceptance rate. The university boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. There are over 7k students enrolled from across the country in the university.
This is a pretty big and rich university sitting on 2,250 acres of land which make up the main Fairbank campus.
The total tuition and living expenses for in-state Alaska residents can go as high as $22,438 as of the year 2021/2022. However, out-of-state students without Alaska residents pay as high as $36,022.
However, close to 91% of the students at Fairmount do receive a grant from the US Federal government in terms of Pell Grants. On average, each student received a total of $8,599.33 as a grant.
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508
The University of Alaska Anchorage is another wealthy university. It’s a top-performing university in an urban setting. This is a publican university sitting on 1,702 acres of land at Anchorage.
The University of Anchorage was founded in 1954 and called the Anchorage Community College. It started by offering evening classes to 414 students. It was later incorporated into state universities in 1962 and started offering day and evening classes 5 years later.
The university has tremendously grown since then offering over 200 different programs. Currently, it’s an open-access university with over 17,000 students. The university has the largest population of state veterans in the state.
It has expanded over the years and has four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska. The campuses are Kenai Peninsula College, Matanuska–Susitna College, Kodiak College, and Prince William Sound College.
This is a state-of-the-art university with in-state tuition fees of $8,418 and out-of-state tuition fees of $25,398. The university majorly focuses on Business courses ranking position 32 among top public schools.
It has also partnered with the University of Washington School of Law and Willamette University for degrees in law. The accelerated programs see students earn law degrees in 6 years rather than 7.
One notable aspect of the university is the Alaska Native Studies program. All students need to finish at least three credits in a designated Alaska Native program.
University of Alaska Anchorage in the News!
The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) made a few interesting headlines in 2023. Here is a brief list for any setting their sights on this northern school.
- Interior Department and University of Alaska Anchorage Partner to Provide STEM Employment Opportunities to Alaska Native Students
- UAA set to house the Ted Stevens papers
What Sets The Richest Schools in Alaska Apart?
The richest schools in Alaska stand apart because of their economic geography, tuition, school funding, facilities, and even performances. A simple glimpse at the school gives you an idea of why they are the richest.
They usually have one of the best student-to-teacher ratios; something that clearly reflects in their performances. Some of the schools have been around for many years and have a tremendous impact on the local community.
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