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June Nelson Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

173^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 175 Alaska Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Alaska elementary schools

Summary

June Nelson Elementary is an elementary school located in Kotzebue, Alaska, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 305 students. The school is part of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, which is ranked 24th out of 24 school districts in Alaska and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

June Nelson Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Alaska elementary schools over the past several years, with academic performance significantly below the state average across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 8.55% of students were proficient or better in STAR/English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 32.69%. The school's performance is also lower than the Northwest Arctic Borough School District's average, which itself is well below the state average.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $34,036 for the 2018-2019 school year, which is significantly above the state average, June Nelson Elementary has faced persistent academic challenges. The school's consistently low performance, particularly for specific student subgroups, suggests that it may benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the unique challenges it faces, such as the high concentration of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

302

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$34,036

Per pupil spending ?

83.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

744 Third Ave
Kotzebue, AK 99752

(907) 442-1877

District: Northwest Arctic Borough School District

Students who attend June Nelson Elementary usually attend:

High:

Kotzebue Middle/High School

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

82.5%

Two or more races:

12.3%

White:

2.6%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 33rd percentile in 2014 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Alaska average (10% vs 33% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school10%

District avg4%

Alaska avg33%

173^rd of 175

Alaska public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Alaska Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

24^th of 24Northwest Arctic 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	4.4	173 of 175	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	172 of 173	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.6	172 of 176	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	158 of 171	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.4	172 of 173	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.2	182 of 185	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.9	179 of 186	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.4	173 of 180	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	26.5	174 of 246	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.3	145 of 218	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.6	149 of 223	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.2	152 of 227	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.7	143 of 223	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.2	142 of 229	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2009	46.0	136 of 226	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.7	149 of 219	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	46.5	130 of 212	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	36.5	145 of 218	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	24.0	159 of 213	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	152 of 154	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	146 of 152	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.9	139 of 141	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.3	156 of 159	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2019	7.1	144 of 147	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2023	5.7	144 of 148	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.0	155 of 159	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2019	53.7	33 of 73	54.8%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Alaska percentile	Rating
2025	5.5	27 of 28	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	22 of 23	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	13 of 15	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	5.1	22 of 22	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.9	50 of 50	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2019)55th percentile+53 vs school

Native American (2025)4th percentile~ school

Male (2023)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Alaska (2024-2025) ?

Science13%-25 vs state

Mathematics10%-22 vs state

English Language Arts9%-24 vs state

★

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Schools Near June Nelson 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 5th Grade	STAR English Language Arts All Grades	STAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAR Mathematics 5th Grade	STAR Mathematics All Grades	ASA Science 5th Grade	ASA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
June Nelson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	744 Third Ave	Kotzebue	99752	Northwest Arctic Borough	Northwest Arctic Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 442-1877	302	19	15.8	83.1%	8 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	249 (82.5%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (12.3%)	4.4	173^rd of 175 public elementary schools	1.1%		3.3	172^nd of 173 public elementary schools	0.6%	1	8.5	13.5	8.6	12.8	10.5	10.2	13.2	13.2	$34,036	$4,453	$29,583

Frequently Asked Questions about June Nelson Elementary

Is June Nelson Elementary a good school?

June Nelson Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Alaska elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of June Nelson Elementary?

Students at June Nelson Elementary are 82% American Indian, 12% Two or more races, 3% White, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of June Nelson Elementary attend?

Students who attend June Nelson Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Kotzebue Middle/High School

How many students attend June Nelson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 302 students attended June Nelson Elementary.

What district is June Nelson Elementary in?

Northwest Arctic Borough School District

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AKAlaska Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Kotzebue, AK

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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.