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Gruening Middle School

Q: Is Gruening Middle School a good school?

Gruening Middle School ranks 25 th of 90 Alaska middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

25^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 90 Alaska Middle Schools

Better than 72% of Alaska middle schools

Summary

Gruening Middle School is a public school in Eagle River, Alaska, serving 797 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Anchorage School District. The school is a consistent high-performer, ranking 25th out of 90 Alaska middle schools in 2025–2026 — a 72nd-percentile, 4-star showing that places it in the upper quartile statewide and well above its district's overall ranking of 11th out of 23. After dipping to 3-star ratings in 2022–2024, Gruening Middle School has rebounded to 4-star status for two consecutive years.

Gruening's academic results far exceed district and state averages. In 2025–2026, 44.5% of students were proficient in English Language Arts versus 36.0% for the district and 32.9% statewide; math proficiency reached 55.7% versus 35.7% and 32.2%; and 8th-grade science hit 50.6% versus 37.4% and 35.2%. The school's closest comparison is Mirror Lake Middle School in nearby Chugiak, which posts nearly identical math scores (55.9%) but trails Gruening in both ELA (43.8%) and science (44.1%). Many other Anchorage middle schools sit well below both, with proficiency rates often in the teens and twenties.

What makes Gruening most distinctive is its outstanding outcomes for student groups often underserved elsewhere. Hispanic students ranked in the top 10% of Alaska middle schools, multi-racial students in the top 6%, and English Language Learners ranked first among all Alaska middle schools in 2024–2025. These strengths are notable given the school's resources: per-student spending runs below many Anchorage middle schools, and the student-to-teacher ratio jumped from 19.5 to 28.2 over two years — well above Mirror Lake's 23.5. The main question moving forward is whether larger class sizes will eventually strain these strong results, particularly for students from low-income and military-connected households, whose relative performance has been more moderate. Even so, Gruening stands as a high-achieving school and a clear academic bright spot within its district.

797

Students ?

28.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,394

Per pupil spending ?

19.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9601 Lee St
Eagle River, AK 99577

(907) 742-3600

District: Anchorage School District

Students who attend Gruening Middle School usually attend:

High:

Eagle River High School

Feeder schools for Gruening Middle School:

Elementary:	Alpenglow Elementary
	Ravenwood Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

63.4%

Two or more races:

13.9%

Hispanic:

11.2%

See top rated Alaska middle schools

Compare Gruening Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 51st percentile in 2023 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alaska average (50% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 72nd (2026) from a 51st-percentile low (2023)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Anchorage School District

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Large classes — about 28 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg36%

Alaska avg33%

25^th of 90

Alaska public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 2 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Alaska Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 11Middle Schools in the Anchorage School District

11^th of 23Anchorage School District among Alaska districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	25 of 90	72.2%	★★★★☆
2025	66.5	21 of 94	77.7%	★★★★☆
2024	56.8	41 of 91	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.8	45 of 92	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.6	33 of 95	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	69.8	20 of 84	76.2%	★★★★☆
2019	76.2	17 of 99	82.8%	★★★★☆
2018	73.6	21 of 96	78.1%	★★★★☆
2017	68.8	23 of 88	73.9%	★★★★☆
2015	81.0	19 of 151	87.4%	★★★★☆
2014	87.1	6 of 138	95.7%	★★★★★
2013	84.0	13 of 136	90.4%	★★★★★
2012	82.7	11 of 135	91.9%	★★★★★
2011	81.7	17 of 133	87.2%	★★★★☆
2010	83.5	16 of 136	88.2%	★★★★☆
2009	85.4	8 of 131	93.9%	★★★★★
2008	82.4	16 of 132	87.9%	★★★★☆
2007	86.2	8 of 128	93.8%	★★★★★
2006	88.5	4 of 132	97.0%	★★★★★
2005	88.2	7 of 138	94.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	86.3	1 of 5	80.0%	★★★★★
2023	82.5	1 of 3	66.7%	★★★★★
2019	79.9	1 of 4	75.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	67.6	5 of 16	68.8%	★★★★☆
2025	71.2	6 of 17	64.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	5 of 16	68.8%	★★★★☆
2023	69.9	6 of 19	68.4%	★★★★☆
2022	87.8	2 of 15	86.7%	★★★★★
2019	83.1	3 of 22	86.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	91.3	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	69.9	16 of 72	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	62.8	25 of 72	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.9	32 of 69	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.1	30 of 66	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.5	26 of 66	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.0	16 of 57	71.9%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	12 of 74	83.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	79.8	2 of 22	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	63.6	7 of 22	68.2%	★★★★☆
2024	62.4	7 of 26	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	63.6	5 of 21	76.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.6	9 of 19	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.0	3 of 15	80.0%	★★★★☆
2019	67.2	3 of 19	84.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	14 of 26	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.5	20 of 51	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.2	29 of 54	46.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.6	25 of 55	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.5	16 of 43	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.0	9 of 43	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	71.8	14 of 64	78.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	69.9	19 of 74	74.3%	★★★★☆
2025	67.6	18 of 68	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	60.5	26 of 72	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.3	33 of 72	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	30 of 68	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.0	7 of 62	88.7%	★★★★★
2019	72.0	14 of 73	80.8%	★★★★☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	14 of 26	46.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.2	4 of 26	84.6%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	52.7	7 of 15	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.3	8 of 12	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.1	9 of 14	35.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.1	10 of 17	41.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.0	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.8	2 of 14	85.7%	★★★★★
2019	70.0	4 of 20	80.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	81.9	2 of 33	93.9%	★★★★★
2025	85.3	3 of 30	90.0%	★★★★★
2024	80.1	4 of 31	87.1%	★★★★★
2023	74.0	4 of 31	87.1%	★★★★★
2022	62.2	7 of 28	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	88.3	2 of 30	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	55.9	14 of 34	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	66.2	8 of 23	65.2%	★★★★☆
2025	63.7	4 of 21	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	71.8	2 of 16	87.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.7	1 of 40	97.5%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	52.6	6 of 15	60.0%	★★★★☆
2025	53.0	5 of 14	64.3%	★★★★☆
2024	24.9	11 of 14	21.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.8	3 of 12	75.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2026	60.8	25 of 67	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	57.1	26 of 70	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	41 of 74	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	44 of 75	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	65.3	19 of 69	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	66.0	15 of 58	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.5	12 of 72	83.3%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2026)94th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2026)91st percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)86th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2025)80th percentile~ school

Female (2026)78th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)69th percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2026)65th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)63rd percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)60th percentile-12 vs school

Military Connected (2026)53rd percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)46th percentile-26 vs school

Migrant (2026)46th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Alaska (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics56%+24 vs state

Science51%+13 vs state

English Language Arts45%+12 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, December 23, 2016

The teachers are kind and sweet to everyone! Close Quote

Schools Near Gruening Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAR English Language Arts (2026)				STAR Mathematics (2026)				ASA Science (2026)		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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Gruening Middle School	Public	6-8	9601 Lee St	Eagle River	99577	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 742-3600	797	28	28.2	19.6%	505 (63.4%)	27 (3.4%)	89 (11.2%)	12 (1.5%)	39 (4.9%)	14 (1.8%)	111 (13.9%)	69.2	25^th of 90 public middle schools	72.2%		66.5	21^st of 94 public middle schools	77.7%	4	48.0	36.0	49.0	44.5	52.0	52.4	62.6	55.7	50.6	50.6	$14,394	$995	$13,399
Mirror Lake Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	22901 Lake Hill Dr	Chugiak	99567	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	Yes	No	No	(907) 742-3500	571	24	23.5	21.9%	376 (65.8%)	5 (0.9%)	53 (9.3%)	10 (1.8%)	31 (5.4%)	11 (1.9%)	85 (14.9%)	67	27^th of 90 public middle schools	70.0%		63.7	27^th of 94 public middle schools	71.3%		47.9	36.9	47.9	43.8	53.2	59.8	53.9	55.9	44.1	44.1	$12,619	$799	$11,819
Nicholas J. Begich Middle School	Public	6-8	7440 Creekside Center Dr	Anchorage	99504	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 742-0500	830	38	21.6	76.5%	114 (13.7%)	44 (5.3%)	112 (13.5%)	181 (21.8%)	104 (12.5%)	105 (12.7%)	170 (20.5%)	6.3	85^th of 90 public middle schools	5.6%		8.3	89^th of 94 public middle schools	5.3%	4	15.2	15.3	14.7	15.1	17.9	16.6	15.4	16.6	17.6	17.6	$15,692	$1,941	$13,750
Anchorage STrEaM Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	7801 E 32nd Ave	Anchorage	99521	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	Yes	No	No	No	(907) 742-9000	183	11	17.0		100 (54.6%)	9 (4.9%)	16 (8.7%)	5 (2.7%)	15 (8.2%)	2 (1.1%)	36 (19.7%)	48.8	42^nd of 90 public middle schools	53.3%		32.9	68^th of 94 public middle schools	27.7%	26	47.3	32.7	37.5	40.0	32.9	29.1	48.2	36.4	57.1	57.1	$15,149	$399	$14,750
Clark Middle School	Public	6-8	150 South Bragaw St	Anchorage	99508	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 742-4700	713	27	26.0	100.8%	53 (7.4%)	60 (8.4%)	95 (13.3%)	124 (17.4%)	111 (15.6%)	149 (20.9%)	121 (17.0%)	4.4	87^th of 90 public middle schools	3.3%		3.8	93^rd of 94 public middle schools	1.1%	6	15.5	12.5	15.4	14.4	13.0	9.9	13.7	12.1	15.5	15.5	$15,430	$2,067	$13,363
Wendler Middle School	Public	6-8	2905 Lake Otis rkwy	Anchorage	99508	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 742-7300	602	29	20.9	72.6%	102 (16.9%)	30 (5.0%)	82 (13.6%)	81 (13.5%)	116 (19.3%)	64 (10.6%)	127 (21.1%)	12.1	83^rd of 90 public middle schools	7.8%		10.2	88^th of 94 public middle schools	6.4%	5	19.3	19.8	25.5	21.5	17.3	20.2	21.7	19.8	29.2	29.2	$16,381	$1,999	$14,381
Central Middle School of Science	Public, Magnet	6-8	1405 E St	Anchorage	99501	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(907) 742-5100	545	25	22.2	79.3%	119 (21.8%)	60 (11.0%)	86 (15.8%)	40 (7.3%)	78 (14.3%)	96 (17.6%)	66 (12.1%)	8	84^th of 90 public middle schools	6.7%		10.7	87^th of 94 public middle schools	7.4%	3	22.5	13.8	19.6	18.6	8.7	17.9	19.9	15.3	24.8	24.8	$16,253	$1,191	$15,062
Romig Middle School	Public, Magnet	6-8	2500 Minnesota Dr	Anchorage	99503	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	Yes	No	No	(907) 742-5200	1,138	54	20.9	39.2%	423 (37.2%)	29 (2.5%)	207 (18.2%)	107 (9.4%)	111 (9.8%)	97 (8.5%)	164 (14.4%)	62.9	31^st of 90 public middle schools	65.6%		63.5	28^th of 94 public middle schools	70.2%	3	53.6	44.6	46.8	48.4	45.5	46.6	41.1	44.3	45.9	45.9	$14,184	$907	$13,276
Hanshew Middle School	Public	6-8	10121 Lake Otis Pkwy	Anchorage	99507	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 349-1561	822	25	33.1	39.2%	242 (29.4%)	42 (5.1%)	107 (13.0%)	99 (12.0%)	98 (11.9%)	61 (7.4%)	173 (21.0%)	21.8	73^rd of 90 public middle schools	18.9%		24.3	74^th of 94 public middle schools	21.3%	1	22.1	23.7	30.7	25.5	22.8	29.8	37.4	29.9	26.6	26.6	$15,169	$1,061	$14,108
Goldenview Middle School	Public	6-8	15800 Goldenview Dr	Anchorage	99516	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 348-8626	0	32	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	77.6	16^th of 90 public middle schools	82.2%		81.6	9^th of 94 public middle schools	90.4%	7	57.7	47.1	54.2	52.9	56.6	54.5	57.3	56.1	47.3	47.3	$14,294	$901	$13,393

Frequently Asked Questions about Gruening Middle School

What high school do graduates of Gruening Middle School attend?

Students who attend Gruening Middle School usually go on to attend Eagle River High School

Is Gruening Middle School a good school?

Gruening Middle School ranks 25^th of 90 Alaska middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Gruening Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 797 students attended Gruening Middle School.

What district is Gruening Middle School in?

Anchorage School District

What is the racial makeup of Gruening Middle School?

Students at Gruening Middle School are 63% White, 14% Two or more races, 11% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 3% African American, 2% Pacific Islander, 2% Asian.

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Latest Alaska data All new data »

2025–26 ASA & STAR test scoresSep 3, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesDec 12, 2025

2018–19 through 2023–24 graduation ratesSep 19, 2025

2024–25 ASA & STAR test scoresSep 5, 2025

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.