Summary:
Dillingham City School District is a small, high-poverty district in Alaska that serves roughly 403 students across two schools: Dillingham Elementary (PK–5) and Dillingham Middle/High School (6–12). Both schools report free/reduced-price lunch rates above 100% and spend roughly $22,000 to $23,500 per student, with small class sizes between 10.5 and 12 students per teacher. Despite these resources, the district ranks 21 out of 23 Alaska districts, placing it in the 9th percentile with a 1-star rating.
Among the two schools, Dillingham Elementary is the relative standout. It earned a 1-star rating and ranks in the 17th percentile statewide, with ELA proficiency of 22.92% and math proficiency of 19.79%—roughly double the rates at Dillingham Middle/High School. The elementary school also improved from a 0-star rating in 2023–2024, and its 4th grade ELA scores (32.26%) came close to the state average. By contrast, Dillingham Middle/High School is the district's biggest concern: it ranks 60 of 62 Alaska high schools in the 3rd percentile with a 0-star rating. Its ELA proficiency is just 9.84% and math just 11.48%, far below the state averages of roughly 33%. The school's standing has declined sharply over three years, falling from the 21st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 3rd percentile today.
The most hopeful signs are in 8th grade, where math proficiency (33.33%) exactly matches the state average and science proficiency (37.04%) exceeds it. However, those gains fade by 10th grade, where science drops to 19.23%. Across the district, proficiency trails the state by roughly 17 points in both ELA and math and by about 10 points in science. The graduation rate at the middle/high school is 78.2%, meaning about one in five students does not graduate on time. Overall, the district's elementary students perform much stronger than its secondary students, and targeted support in secondary math and ELA is urgently needed.
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