Middle Schools in Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

Summary:

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska is home to three middle schools: Wasilla Middle School, Palmer Middle School, and Houston Middle School. These schools serve students in grades 6-8 and provide a range of academic and extracurricular opportunities.

Among the three middle schools, Palmer Middle School stands out as the top performer. It ranks 44th out of 94 Alaska middle schools for the 2024-2025 school year, earning a 3-star rating from the statewide school digger. In comparison, Wasilla Middle School ranks 72nd, and Houston Middle School ranks 81st. Palmer Middle School also outperforms the district and state averages on academic metrics, including proficiency rates in science, English language arts, and mathematics.

When it comes to key metrics, Houston Middle School has the highest spending per student at $17,303, followed by Palmer Middle School at $15,320 and Wasilla Middle School at $14,949. However, Houston Middle School has the lowest student-teacher ratio at 17.4, compared to 18.2 at Palmer Middle School and 18.4 at Wasilla Middle School.

District Detail

501 N Gulkana St
Palmer, AK 99645

(907) 746-9200

SchoolDigger Rank:
10^th of 24 Alaska districts

See the 2025 Alaska District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 19,495

Primary Schools: 27
Middle Schools: 3
High Schools: 10
Alternative Schools: 9

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 6th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	STAR English Language Arts All Grades	STAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAR Mathematics All Grades	ASA Science 8th Grade	ASA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Houston Middle School	Public	6-8	12801 W Hawk Ln	Houston	99694	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 892-9500	318	23	13.8	74.2%	216 (67.9%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.3%)	4 (1.3%)	34 (10.7%)	4 (1.3%)	43 (13.5%)	18.4	81^st of 94 public middle schools	13.8%		12.9	82^nd of 91 public middle schools	9.9%	1	30.6	22.0	21.5	24.3	30.6	13.9	28.0	23.7	35.2	35.2	$17,303	$2,308	$14,995
Palmer Middle School	Public	6-8	1159 S Chugach	Palmer	99645	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 761-4300	563	30	18.8	44.4%	376 (66.8%)	3 (0.5%)	41 (7.3%)	6 (1.1%)	37 (6.6%)	11 (2.0%)	89 (15.8%)	53.1	44^th of 94 public middle schools	53.2%		39	57^th of 91 public middle schools	37.4%	13	44.6	44.4	45.6	44.9	36.2	37.3	43.8	39.0	45.8	45.8	$15,320	$1,484	$13,836
Wasilla Middle School	Public	6-8	650 Bogard Rd	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-5300	584	30	19.6	48.6%	360 (61.6%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (8.0%)	10 (1.7%)	48 (8.2%)	9 (1.5%)	108 (18.5%)	29	72^nd of 94 public middle schools	23.4%		27.2	71^st of 91 public middle schools	22.0%	1	33.5	25.6	32.2	30.4	31.9	27.1	37.6	31.9	39.2	39.2	$14,949	$1,705	$13,244

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Anchorage School District	10.03 mi	97	14^th
Iditarod Area School District	14.27 mi	8
Chugach School District	29.03 mi	4
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District	43.09 mi	43	12^th

See the top AK Alaska districts

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.