Best Public Schools in Kotzebue, AK

Summary:

The city of Kotzebue, Alaska is home to 3 schools serving students from elementary through high school, including Kotzebue Middle/High School, June Nelson Elementary, and NWABSD Home School, an alternative school. The data shows that the schools in Kotzebue generally perform below the state average on standardized test scores, with low proficiency rates across subjects and grade levels.

Kotzebue Middle/High School and June Nelson Elementary have significantly lower proficiency rates than the state averages in STAR/English Language Arts and STAR/Mathematics. For example, in 2024-2025, the proficiency rate in STAR/English Language Arts for all grades is just 5.71% at Kotzebue Middle/High School, compared to the state average of 32.69%. Both schools also have very high rates of free and reduced lunch recipients, at 88.99% and 80.98% respectively, indicating high levels of economic disadvantage among the student populations.

The data also reveals disparities in funding and resources among the schools. Kotzebue Middle/High School spends $39,784 per student, which is significantly higher than the $34,036 spent per student at June Nelson Elementary. The alternative school, NWABSD Home School, spends the least at $12,473 per student. Additionally, Kotzebue Middle/High School has a relatively high student-teacher ratio of 18.9, compared to 13.8 at June Nelson Elementary, and an extremely high student-teacher ratio of 84 at NWABSD Home School. These differences in funding and resources may be contributing to the educational challenges faced by the students in Kotzebue.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				STAR English Language Arts (2025)					STAR Mathematics (2025)				ASA Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	STAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 9th Grade	STAR English Language Arts All Grades	STAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAR Mathematics All Grades	ASA Science 5th Grade	ASA Science 8th Grade	ASA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
June Nelson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	744 Third Ave	Kotzebue	99752	Northwest Arctic Borough	Northwest Arctic Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 442-1877	302	19	15.8	83.1%	8 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	249 (82.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.3%)	4.4	173^rd of 175 public elementary schools	1.1%		3.3	172^nd of 173 public elementary schools	0.6%	1	8.5	13.5			8.6	12.8	10.5		10.2	13.2		13.2	$34,036	$4,453	$29,583
Kotzebue Middle/High School	Public	6-12	744 Third Ave	Kotzebue	99752	Northwest Arctic Borough	Northwest Arctic Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 442-1875	299	18	16.6	84.3%	11 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.7%)	257 (86.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.7%)								(n/a)			9.8	6.5	5.7			9.3	4.6		8.5	7.3	$39,784	$4,358	$35,426
NWABSD Home School	Public, Alternative	K-12	744 Third Ave	Kotzebue	99752	Northwest Arctic Borough	Northwest Arctic Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 442-1811	25	1	25.0		2 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (92.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)													$12,473	$2,658	$9,815

Cities Near Kotzebue

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank	Rank (0-5)
Noorvik	27.66 mi	1
Kiana	43.43 mi	1

See the top AK Alaska cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Developmenr.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.