Summary:
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District operates three middle schools — Wasilla Middle School, Palmer Middle School, and Houston Middle School — all serving grades 6–8 with a combined enrollment of 1,465 students in Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The district ranks 6th out of 23 Alaska districts with a 4-star rating, although its three middle schools each earn just 1 or 2 stars, with state ranks ranging from 49th to 72nd out of 90 middle schools.
For parents comparing schools, Palmer Middle School is the strongest academic performer. Palmer leads all three in ELA (38.5%), math (38.0%), and science (46.9%) proficiency, exceeds Alaska state averages in every subject, and holds the best overall state rank (49th of 90). Wasilla Middle School sits in the middle; its math proficiency (32.1%) is right at the state average, but its 8th-grade ELA proficiency (22.2%) is the weakest grade-level result at any of the three schools. Houston Middle School has the lowest ELA (27.4%) and math (23.8%) proficiency and serves a much higher share of low-income students — 74.2% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, compared with 44.4% at Palmer and 48.6% at Wasilla.
Notably, extra funding does not guarantee better results at Houston. It spends the most per student ($17,303) and has the smallest class sizes (13.8 students per teacher), yet posts the lowest test scores. Houston does have a promising bright spot: its 6th-grade ELA proficiency (44.7%) tops even Palmer's 6th-grade performance, but scores fall to just 17.1% by 7th grade — a dramatic drop worth understanding. Wasilla, meanwhile, has the largest enrollment (584 students) and largest classes at 19.6 students per teacher. All three schools trail the district's own proficiency averages in every subject, suggesting real room for growth even at the district's strongest middle school.
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