Houston High School

Houston High School is a small public high school in Big Lake, Alaska, serving roughly 337 students in grades 9–12 as part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. While the district overall earns 4 stars and ranks 6th out of 23 Alaska districts, Houston is a much weaker performer: it currently holds a 1-star rating, ranking 53rd out of 62 Alaska high schools. The school also serves a high-poverty community, with 61.1% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch — a rate well above most nearby high schools, with only Burchell High School reporting a higher percentage.

The biggest concern for parents is mathematics. On the 9th-grade STAR assessment, just 6.49% of Houston students scored proficient in 2025–2026, compared with 20.36% across the district and 17.91% statewide. Nearby schools range from about 11.67% at Joe Redington Senior Junior/Senior High School to 37.33% at Chugiak High School. English Language Arts proficiency is also below the district average (29.49% vs. 35.93%), though it exceeds Burchell High School's 14.81%. Science results are similarly middling, at 32.31% on the 10th-grade assessment, trailing the district's 39.98%.

There are some positives. Houston's 2024–2025 graduation rate was 89.2% — above the district's 84.2% and consistently strong over recent years. Still, nearby schools generally do better, including Colony High School at 91.5% and Wasilla High School at 92.7%. Houston also spends significantly more per student ($20,488) than higher-performing neighbors like Colony ($12,195), Wasilla ($14,988), or Chugiak ($15,696), and has a low student-teacher ratio of 13.4. In short, resources and graduation rates are not the issue; rather, the core academic challenge — particularly persistently low math proficiency — is what families should investigate most closely when considering this school.