Summary:
The Copper River School District is a small, geographically dispersed Alaska district serving roughly 393 students across 5 schools (PK–12) in Glennallen, Copper Center, and Slana, with a mix of traditional campuses and alternative/correspondence programs.
Nearly half of the district’s students — about 46% — attend alternative or correspondence schools, making this a defining feature of the area. Among those, Kenny Lake School stands out as the strongest all-around academic option: it posts the highest math proficiency in the district (41.67%), well above state averages in ELA (54.17%) and science (54.55%), and reports a 100% graduation rate. Upstream Learning Correspondence also shows strong literacy and science results (53.13% and 62.5%, respectively), but its math proficiency is low (28.13%) and its graduation rate is just 46.1%, the weakest in the district. Slana School, the smallest campus with only 14 students, lacks recent test or outcome data, making its effectiveness hard to judge despite spending the most per student at $35,364.
On the traditional campus side, Glennallen Elementary is a consistent bright spot, exceeding state averages in every tested subject while serving a population with 71.43% free/reduced lunch eligibility. Glennallen Junior/Senior High School is the biggest turnaround story, climbing from the bottom fifth of Alaska high schools to the top quartile, with a 78.9% graduation rate and sharp science gains — though ELA and math remain below state averages. District-wide, science is a clear strength at 55.07% proficiency versus 37.81% statewide, while math lags at 31.06%. Because these schools are tiny, proficiency swings of 20–30 points from year to year are common and should not be over-interpreted; one cohort change can dramatically shift results.
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