Hermon Hutchens Elementary

Hermon Hutchens Elementary is a PK–5 school in Valdez, AK, serving 287 students as part of the Valdez City School District, which is ranked #3 out of 23 Alaska districts with a 5-star rating. The school has established itself as a consistently strong performer in Alaska's elementary rankings, earning 4 stars in each of the last four reported school years. After ranking in the lower-middle range around 2020–2022, the school has spent the last four years in the upper tier of Alaska elementary schools, moving from the 72nd percentile to as high as the 85th percentile.

Academically, Hermon Hutchens outperforms both district and state averages by wide margins. Most recently, 53.28% of students were proficient in math and 62.16% were proficient in science, compared to state averages of 32.20% and 37.81% respectively. English language arts proficiency was 47.54%, well above the state average of 32.89% but the relative weaker subject. Science has been a clear academic strength, rising from below 50% proficiency in 2022-2023 to consistently above 60% in the years since. Within the school, 4th grade appears to be a relative weak point, with ELA and math proficiency around 38.78%, while 5th grade rebounds strongly with 67.57% math proficiency.

Male students at the school perform very well compared to male students statewide, ranking in the 87th percentile, while female students ranked in the 41st percentile in the most recent year. Native American students ranked #1 out of 28 schools statewide in 2024-2025. The school also enjoys a low student-teacher ratio of roughly 10–12 students per teacher, suggesting small class sizes and strong per-student investment. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch has declined to 26.83%, and low socio-economic status students have performed reasonably well in state subgroup rankings. Overall, Hermon Hutchens is a strong, improving school in one of Alaska's top-ranked districts, with math and science leading the way.