Nome Elementary

Nome Elementary serves 306 students in grades PK-5 in Nome, Alaska, and is part of the Nome Public Schools district — with no other schools within 20 miles, it is the only elementary option nearby. The school serves a deeply high-need population: nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch, with eligibility at or above 99% in recent years. Parents should keep that context in mind when reviewing academic results.

On recent state tests, Nome Elementary trails Alaska averages in every core subject. English language arts is the biggest concern, with 17.7% proficiency versus 32.9% statewide. Math stands at 22.2% compared to 32.2% statewide. Science is a relative strength at 32.5% — above the district's 25.6% but still below the state's 37.8%. The school's history shows long-term improvement: it ranked last in Alaska in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, climbed to the 24th percentile in 2024-2025, then slipped to the 14th percentile in 2025-2026. With only 306 students spread across grades, that kind of swing is common — a single cohort can heavily influence results.

Subgroup results are mixed. Native American students earned a 2-star rating and ranked at the 30th percentile in the most recent year, above the school's overall ranking. Male students ranked at the 6th percentile versus the 13th for female students. Grade-level patterns also vary widely — 5th-grade math lagged at 17.5% proficiency while 3rd grade reached 24.2%, and ELA jumped from 12.1% in 3rd grade to 23.1% in 4th grade. Since no nearby schools exist for comparison, state averages are the best benchmark. Overall, outcomes at Nome Elementary are highly variable, and single-year rankings likely overstate both setbacks and successes; multi-year trends provide a truer picture.