Homer Middle School

Homer Middle School serves about 205 students in grades 7–8 in Homer, AK, a small coastal town within the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

Homer Middle School has a long history as one of Alaska’s top middle schools, regularly ranking in the top 10 statewide through 2023–24. In the last two years, however, its state ranking dropped to the middle of the pack, even as its English and math scores remain above district and state averages. The most striking change is in science, where proficiency fell from roughly 58% in 2023–24 to 37% now—below both the district and state. This decline is recent and school-specific, not part of a statewide trend. A major factor appears to be an uneven split between grade levels: current 7th graders are strong, with math proficiency at 55.6% compared to the district’s 38.5%, while 8th graders lag badly, especially in math at 34.9%—below the district average. That 20-point gap between the two grades suggests either a cohort difference or a shift in how instruction is delivered. Because each grade has only about 100 students, one class can strongly influence overall results.

The school continues to shine for several student groups. Low-income students, migrant students, and special education students all rank in the 73rd to 88th percentile statewide—well above their peers elsewhere. Female students have declined but remain above average, while male students have dropped sharply from the 86th to the 35th percentile, which largely explains the school’s overall fall. White students, the largest group, also slid from the 91st to the 49th percentile. With poverty rates rising from 30% to 39%, the picture is complex, but strong outcomes for high-need groups show the school is still supporting many learners effectively. Whether this is a temporary dip or a new era depends largely on how the current 7th graders perform next year in 8th grade.