Palmer Middle School

Palmer Middle School serves 563 students in grades 6–8 in Palmer, Alaska, and operates as part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. The school has made a noteworthy climb over the past four years: after ranking in the bottom fifth of Alaska middle schools in 2021–2022, Palmer now sits roughly in the middle of the pack, ranking 49th of 90 schools statewide in 2025–2026. This places it clearly above Alaska state averages in English language arts, math, and science, even though it trails district averages slightly in each subject.

In direct comparisons with nearby schools, Palmer is the stronger performer: it beats Wasilla Middle School in every subject, with English language arts proficiency at 38.46% versus Wasilla's 28.57%, math at 37.97% versus 32.14%, and science at 46.91% versus 38.16%. However, Mirror Lake Middle School in the Anchorage School District, located about 15 miles away, is far ahead in math, with 55.94% of students proficient compared with Palmer's 37.97% – a roughly 18-point gap. Palmer actually edges out Mirror Lake in science and trails only modestly in reading, making math the clearest opportunity for improvement. This comparison is not entirely apples-to-apples since far fewer Mirror Lake students come from low-income households.

Palmer spends more per student ($15,320) and has smaller class sizes than many comparable schools, and its strongest outcomes appear in science, where proficiency has jumped in recent years. Subgroup data show the school serves low-income students effectively, but special education results remain a serious concern, and the school has been considerably more effective with female students than male students – a gap that has persisted across multiple years. For parents, Palmer looks like a school on an upward trajectory that now performs above the state average, but one that still has room to grow in mathematics and for targeted groups of students.