Meadow Lakes Elementary

Meadow Lakes Elementary serves roughly 308 students in grades PK-5 in the Wasilla, AK area as part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. For 2025-2026, it ranks 149th of 166 Alaska elementary schools, placing it in the bottom 10 percent statewide with a 1-star rating. That makes it one of the lowest-performing elementary schools in a district that otherwise ranks 6th of 23 Alaska districts, with surrounding schools frequently landing in the middle or top half of the state.

The gap between Meadow Lakes and its neighbors is striking. Proficiency rates at Meadow Lakes are just 18.8% in English language arts, 18.1% in math, and 23.3% in science, compared with district rates of 41.5%, 42.0%, and 51.0%. Every nearby elementary school with comparable test data outperforms Meadow Lakes in all three subjects. For example, Snowshoe Elementary, less than 7 miles away, ranks 36th in the state with proficiency above 50% in every subject. Even Iditarod Elementary, which serves a higher percentage of low-income students (72.2% vs. Meadow Lakes's 65.9%), does substantially better, with ELA proficiency of 32.0% and math of 34.7%.

Trends at Meadow Lakes are also moving in the wrong direction. The school was essentially tied with the district in science in 2022-2023 (46.5% vs. 46.5%), but by 2025-2026 its science proficiency had fallen to 23.3% while the district climbed to 51.0%. The achievement gap also widens as students advance: 3rd graders trail the district by roughly 16 points in ELA, while 5th graders trail by about 34 points. This is especially notable because resources are not the limiting factor — Meadow Lakes has the lowest student-teacher ratio among nearby schools (12.3 students per teacher) and per-pupil spending near $18,300, higher than most neighboring schools. Parents may want to ask how these resources are being used to support student growth.