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Big Lake Elementary

Q: Is Big Lake Elementary a good school?

Big Lake Elementary ranks 109 th of 175 Alaska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Big Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Big Lake Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Big Lake Elementary?

Students at Big Lake Elementary are 61% White, 18% Two or more races, 11% American Indian, 8% Hispanic, 1% Pacific Islander.

Q: What schools do graduates of Big Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Big Lake Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Houston Middle School High : Houston High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

109^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 175 Alaska Elementary Schools

Better than 38% of Alaska elementary schools

Summary

Big Lake Elementary is a public elementary school serving 320 students in grades PK-5 in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Alaska elementary schools in recent years, with below-average performance on standardized tests compared to the district and state averages, particularly in mathematics.

Big Lake Elementary struggles to support certain student subgroups, such as male students, white students, and special education students, who have consistently ranked in the bottom half or bottom quarter of their respective subgroups in the state. However, the school has performed relatively well with multi-racial students and migrant students. The school's high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 67.19% receiving free or reduced-price lunch, is likely a contributing factor to its overall academic underperformance.

Nearby schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, such as Larson Elementary, Iditarod Elementary, and Tanaina Elementary, generally outperform Big Lake Elementary on academic measures. However, Meadow Lakes Elementary, another school in the district, also struggles academically and has a similar high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. In contrast, Birchwood ABC Elementary, a public magnet school in the Anchorage School District, stands out as a high-performing school, ranking among the top 13 elementary schools in Alaska.

362

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,634

Per pupil spending ?

61.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

Mile 4.5 South Big Lake Rd
Big Lake, AK 99652

(907) 892-9700

District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

Students who attend Big Lake Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Houston Middle School
High:	Houston High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.8%

Two or more races:

18.0%

American Indian:

11.0%

See top rated Alaska elementary schools

Compare Big Lake Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 13th percentile in 2022 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 38th (2025) from a 13th-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg42%

Alaska avg33%

109^th of 175

Alaska public elementary schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alaska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 21Elementary 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	40.1	109 of 175	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	48.2	94 of 173	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	132 of 176	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.4	148 of 171	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.1	113 of 173	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	99 of 185	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.5	94 of 186	49.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.9	84 of 180	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	26.5	173 of 246	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	54.4	118 of 218	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.3	100 of 223	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.6	114 of 227	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.8	104 of 223	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.6	94 of 229	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	57.4	113 of 226	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.8	115 of 219	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	60.6	105 of 212	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2006	56.7	118 of 218	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2005	56.9	114 of 213	46.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	95 of 154	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.7	97 of 142	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	115 of 152	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	124 of 143	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	105 of 141	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.9	60 of 159	62.3%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	39.5	79 of 125	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.6	83 of 122	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.5	82 of 119	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	84 of 104	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	39.5	64 of 110	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.0	70 of 147	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	107 of 149	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.9	81 of 150	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.4	119 of 148	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	140 of 148	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.7	101 of 142	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.3	116 of 159	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2023	69.2	6 of 30	80.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	66.0	14 of 62	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	44.2	43 of 68	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.6	48 of 74	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2019	62.6	23 of 50	54.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2021	6.9	10 of 10	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	124 of 139	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	103 of 133	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	132 of 138	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.6	137 of 137	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.8	109 of 127	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.5	109 of 147	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Migrant (2023)80th percentile+55 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)77th percentile+40 vs school

Native American (2019)54th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile~ school

Male (2025)28th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)11th percentile-27 vs school

Special Education (2021)<1st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Alaska (2024-2025) ?

Science45%+7 vs state

Mathematics39%+7 vs state

English Language Arts30%~ state avg

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, February 4, 2016

All students receive free breakfast and lunch and the Special Education program is wonderful! I have no idea why this school has such a low rating, they are wonderful! Close Quote

Schools Near Big Lake Elementary

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 3rd Grade	STAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 3rd Grade	STAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAR Mathematics All Grades	ASA Science 5th Grade	ASA Science 8th Grade	ASA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Big Lake Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Mile 4.5 South Big Lake Rd	Big Lake	99652	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 892-9700	362	22	16.2	61.9%	220 (60.8%)	2 (0.6%)	28 (7.7%)	3 (0.8%)	40 (11.0%)	4 (1.1%)	65 (18.0%)	40.1	109^th of 175 public elementary schools	37.7%		48.2	94^th of 173 public elementary schools	45.7%	15	24.6	35.4	32.7				30.4	46.2	33.3	34.6				38.7	44.6		44.6	$15,634	$2,351	$13,283
Dena'ina Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7068 S Knik Knack Mud Shack Ro	Wasilla	99623	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 864-5600	396	26	15.2	46.0%	220 (55.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (8.8%)	3 (0.8%)	43 (10.9%)	1 (0.3%)	94 (23.7%)	66.6	56^th of 175 public elementary schools	68.0%		47.9	95^th of 173 public elementary schools	45.1%	39	37.5	48.9	45.3				43.1	47.9	50.0	56.3				51.4	54.4		54.4	$15,640	$1,631	$14,010
Goose Bay Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	6400 Hollywood Blvd	Wasilla	99687	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-6400	305	21	14.5	43.3%	200 (65.6%)	1 (0.3%)	25 (8.2%)	2 (0.7%)	21 (6.9%)	2 (0.7%)	54 (17.7%)								(n/a)																		$17,882	$1,993	$15,889
Knik Elementary School	Public	K-5	6350 W Hollywood	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-0300	263	16	16.4	48.3%	137 (52.1%)	1 (0.4%)	25 (9.5%)	3 (1.1%)	20 (7.6%)	5 (1.9%)	72 (27.4%)	50.3	84^th of 175 public elementary schools	52.0%		51.6	88^th of 173 public elementary schools	49.1%	4	26.4	41.5	47.4				38.2	42.5	42.6	39.2				41.5	44.2		44.2	$14,106	$925	$13,181
Midnight Sun Family Learning Center	Public, Charter	K-8	7275 W Midnight Sun Cir	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	Yes	No	No	No	(907) 357-6786	189	8	23.6		140 (74.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.3%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (14.8%)	77.8	27^th of 175 public elementary schools	84.6%		76.4	27^th of 173 public elementary schools	84.4%		39.1	39.4	73.7	38.9	40.9	45.5	45.2	65.2	60.6	84.2	50.0	54.6	36.4	60.3	83.3	45.5	69.0	$20,311	$100	$20,211
Meadow Lakes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1741 Pittman Rd	Wasilla	99687	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-6100	308	25	12.3	65.9%	181 (58.8%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (6.2%)	3 (1.0%)	37 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67 (21.8%)	16.7	151^st of 175 public elementary schools	13.7%		13.6	149^th of 173 public elementary schools	13.9%	2	22.7	15.5	29.0				21.4	34.1	8.5	12.8				17.6	32.5		32.5	$18,303	$2,517	$15,787
Snowshoe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 W Fairview Loop	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-9500	346	23	15.0	47.7%	208 (60.1%)	2 (0.6%)	34 (9.8%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (8.4%)	3 (0.9%)	68 (19.7%)	69.6	44^th of 175 public elementary schools	74.9%		74.5	31^st of 173 public elementary schools	82.1%	13	50.0	48.3	42.6				47.1	58.1	43.1	49.1				50.3	56.4		56.4	$15,447	$1,323	$14,125
Iditarod Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	455 E Carpenter Cir	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-9100	424	26	16.3	72.2%	244 (57.5%)	4 (0.9%)	50 (11.8%)	9 (2.1%)	24 (5.7%)	1 (0.2%)	92 (21.7%)	22.6	137^th of 175 public elementary schools	21.7%		35.9	115^th of 173 public elementary schools	33.5%	22	21.7	22.1	24.1				22.6	27.7	27.3	28.6				27.8	40.4		40.4	$17,072	$3,548	$13,525
Tanaina Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2550 Lucille St	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-9400	324	22	14.7	55.2%	203 (62.7%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (6.8%)	3 (0.9%)	26 (8.0%)	5 (1.5%)	64 (19.8%)	44.2	97^th of 175 public elementary schools	44.6%		45.8	99^th of 173 public elementary schools	42.8%	2	25.9	44.3	39.2				36.8	42.6	32.8	39.6				38.1	39.6		39.6	$16,334	$1,666	$14,668
Birchwood ABC Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	17010 Birchtree St	Eagle River	99567	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	Yes	No	No	(907) 742-3450	246	15	15.9	24.8%	169 (68.7%)	4 (1.6%)	17 (6.9%)	7 (2.8%)	11 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (15.4%)	87.2	13^th of 175 public elementary schools	92.6%		69.8	45^th of 173 public elementary schools	74.0%	32	53.9	56.8	50.0				54.1	69.2	68.2	64.3				67.6	64.3		64.3	$16,061	$1,073	$14,987

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Lake Elementary

What schools do graduates of Big Lake Elementary attend?

Students who attend Big Lake Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Houston Middle School
High : Houston High School

What district is Big Lake Elementary in?

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

Is Big Lake Elementary a good school?

Big Lake Elementary ranks 109^th of 175 Alaska elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Big Lake Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 362 students attended Big Lake Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Big Lake Elementary?

Students at Big Lake Elementary are 61% White, 18% Two or more races, 11% American Indian, 8% Hispanic, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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.