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Palmer Middle School

Q: Is Palmer Middle School a good school?

Palmer Middle School ranks 44 th of 94 Alaska middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Palmer Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended Palmer Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Palmer Middle School?

Students at Palmer Middle School are 67% White, 16% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 7% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian.

Q: What high school do graduates of Palmer Middle School attend?

Students who attend Palmer Middle School usually go on to attend Palmer High School

Public Grades 6-8

44^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 94 Alaska Middle Schools

Better than 53% of Alaska middle schools

Summary

Palmer Middle School is a public middle school in Palmer, Alaska, serving 567 students in grades 6-8. It is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which is ranked 10th out of 24 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school's academic performance has been mixed, with some strengths and areas for improvement. In the 2024-2025 school year, Palmer Middle School outperformed the district and state averages in science and English Language Arts proficiency, but underperformed in mathematics. The school's performance has fluctuated over the years, with some grades and subjects performing better than others. Notably, female students, as well as Asian and Hispanic students, have performed well at the school, while special education students have struggled in comparison to their peers.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Mirror Lake Middle School and Wasilla Middle School, Palmer Middle School has shown notable differences in academic performance and rankings. Additionally, the school serves a relatively high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting the need for targeted support and interventions to address the unique needs of its student population.

563

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,320

Per pupil spending ?

44.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1159 S Chugach
Palmer, AK 99645

(907) 761-4300

District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

Students who attend Palmer Middle School usually attend:

High:

Palmer High School

Feeder schools for Palmer Middle School:

Elementary:	Butte Elementary
	Sherrod Elementary
	Sutton Elementary
	Swanson Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.8%

Two or more races:

15.8%

Hispanic:

7.3%

See top rated Alaska middle schools

Compare Palmer Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 20th percentile in 2022 → 53rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Alaska average (42% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 20th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the Alaska median (53rd percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school42%

District avg42%

Alaska avg33%

44^th of 94

Alaska public middle schools ?

Top 47%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 39% (2015) to top 47% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alaska Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3Middle Schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

10^th of 24Matanuska-Susitna Borough 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
2025	53.1	44 of 94	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.0	57 of 91	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.8	67 of 92	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.8	76 of 95	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	65 of 84	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	70 of 99	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.6	59 of 96	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	41.4	55 of 88	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	57.5	59 of 151	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	74.7	34 of 138	75.4%	★★★★☆
2013	76.6	30 of 136	77.9%	★★★★☆
2012	79.0	22 of 135	83.7%	★★★★☆
2011	80.8	20 of 133	85.0%	★★★★☆
2010	84.0	13 of 136	90.4%	★★★★★
2009	83.8	14 of 131	89.3%	★★★★★
2008	79.7	21 of 132	84.1%	★★★★☆
2007	78.3	26 of 128	79.7%	★★★★☆
2006	69.0	48 of 132	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.1	45 of 138	67.4%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	4 of 17	76.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	18 of 72	75.0%	★★★★☆
2024	44.9	40 of 69	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	46 of 66	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	51 of 66	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.9	36 of 57	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	54 of 74	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	64.6	6 of 22	72.7%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	5 of 26	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	34.0	14 of 21	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.3	12 of 19	36.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	63.4	18 of 51	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	27 of 54	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.2	35 of 55	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	25 of 43	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.7	28 of 43	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	38 of 64	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	45 of 68	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	47 of 72	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	56 of 72	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.9	54 of 68	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	49 of 62	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.2	56 of 73	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	8 of 26	69.2%	★★★★☆
2024	32.7	12 of 20	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.2	18 of 20	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	7 of 12	41.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	4 of 10	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.4	12 of 24	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	68.5	2 of 12	83.3%	★★★★★
2024	46.4	8 of 14	42.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	37.2	12 of 17	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	9.4	17 of 17	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	49.5	6 of 14	57.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	18 of 30	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.6	22 of 31	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.1	21 of 31	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.3	21 of 28	25.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	18 of 30	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2022	35.0	7 of 16	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.4	23 of 40	42.5%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	19.5	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	14 of 14	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.0	9 of 11	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	52.9	29 of 70	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.6	56 of 74	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.7	59 of 75	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.6	61 of 69	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	52 of 58	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	61 of 72	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Military Connected (2025)83rd percentile+30 vs school

Asian (2025)76th percentile+23 vs school

Female (2025)75th percentile+22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile+20 vs school

Migrant (2025)69th percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)65th percentile+12 vs school

White (2025)59th percentile+5 vs school

Native American (2022)56th percentile+36 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)40th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)34th percentile-19 vs school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile-53 vs school

By subject vs Alaska (2024-2025) ?

Science46%+8 vs state

English Language Arts45%+12 vs state

Mathematics39%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Palmer Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				STAR English Language Arts (2025)				STAR Mathematics (2025)				ASA Science (2025)		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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Palmer Middle School	Public	6-8	1159 S Chugach	Palmer	99645	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 761-4300	563	30	18.8	44.4%	376 (66.8%)	3 (0.5%)	41 (7.3%)	6 (1.1%)	37 (6.6%)	11 (2.0%)	89 (15.8%)	53.1	44^th of 94 public middle schools	53.2%		39	57^th of 91 public middle schools	37.4%	13	44.6	44.4	45.6	44.9	36.2	37.3	43.8	39.0	45.8	45.8	$15,320	$1,484	$13,836
Wasilla Middle School	Public	6-8	650 Bogard Rd	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-5300	584	30	19.6	48.6%	360 (61.6%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (8.0%)	10 (1.7%)	48 (8.2%)	9 (1.5%)	108 (18.5%)	29	72^nd of 94 public middle schools	23.4%		27.2	71^st of 91 public middle schools	22.0%	1	33.5	25.6	32.2	30.4	31.9	27.1	37.6	31.9	39.2	39.2	$14,949	$1,705	$13,244
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%)	63.7	27^th of 94 public middle schools	71.3%		55.7	42^nd of 91 public middle schools	53.8%	15	47.7	39.4	39.6	42.4	54.1	50.3	50.8	51.8	48.2	48.2	$12,619	$799	$11,819

Frequently Asked Questions about Palmer Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Palmer Middle School?

Students at Palmer Middle School are 67% White, 16% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 7% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Palmer Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 563 students attended Palmer Middle School.

Is Palmer Middle School a good school?

Palmer Middle School ranks 44^th of 94 Alaska middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Palmer Middle School attend?

Students who attend Palmer Middle School usually go on to attend Palmer High School

What district is Palmer Middle School in?

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

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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.