Summary:
The Craig City School District in Alaska serves 615 students across four schools — PACE Correspondence (K–12, alternative), Craig Elementary (PK–5), Craig High School (9–12), and Craig Middle School (6–8) — in a mid-tier district ranked 13th out of 23 in the state.
The district’s overall numbers are heavily skewed by PACE Correspondence, an alternative school that enrolls about two-thirds of all district students. PACE has a very high student–teacher ratio (75:1), much lower per-student spending ($7,768), and a 33.3% graduation rate, which pulls the district’s 52.5% rate down. In contrast, Craig High School, the traditional high school, reports a 90% graduation rate and has improved its statewide rank from the 31st to the 53rd percentile over three years. Craig Elementary stands out in STEM: its latest science proficiency is 61.54% and math is 51.11%, both well above state averages, although its overall rating has slipped recently. Craig Middle School needs the most support, with math (23.81%) and science (30.77%) below state averages; however, its 6th grade ELA proficiency is strong at 61.54%.
Parents should look past district averages and focus on individual schools. The traditional schools spend roughly $17,000–$28,000 per student, while PACE spends much less — reflecting different learning models, not necessarily quality. Grade-level results swing sharply because class sizes are small, and some data (such as free/reduced lunch and spending figures) are dated or incomplete. Overall, this is a district with real strengths at the high school and elementary level, one middle school that needs attention in math and science, and an alternative program that dramatically distorts district-wide statistics.
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