Soldotna High School

Soldotna High School is a large, comprehensive public high school in Soldotna, Alaska, serving 695 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

Academically, Soldotna currently ranks 43rd out of 62 Alaska high schools, placing it in the 31st percentile—lower than nearby Nikiski Middle/Senior High School (33rd) and Kenai Central High School (34th), and well below River City Academy, which ranks 4th. Proficiency rates reflect that lower standing: only 29.1% of 9th graders meet reading standards (versus 40.0% at Kenai Central), and just 17.0% meet math standards (versus 19.2% at Kenai Central and 18.8% at Nikiski). Even in science—where Soldotna’s 35.7% proficiency is nearly tied with Kenai Central’s 36.0%—both Nikiski (60.0%) and River City Academy (54.5%) outperform it by wide margins.

These results are especially striking because Soldotna serves a comparatively more advantaged student body: only 27.5% of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, far below Kenai Central’s 36.0% or Nikiski’s 48.2%. At the same time, it has the largest average class sizes of its local peers. On the positive side, Soldotna graduates students at a strong rate—92.5%, above the district’s 85.0% average and close to Kenai Central’s 94.0%. The school has also kept its graduation rate well above district averages for five consecutive years. Still, the longer-term trend is concerning: Soldotna ranked 6th among all Alaska high schools in 2012–13, but in recent years it has consistently placed in the upper 30s to mid-40s out of roughly 60 schools. For parents comparing local options, Soldotna offers a dependable path to graduation, but classroom proficiency—particularly in math—currently trails several nearby schools that serve higher percentages of economically disadvantaged families.