Summary:
Zip code 99504 in Anchorage is served by 11 schools in the Anchorage School District — 7 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school/charter school, and 2 alternative schools — enrolling approximately 4,904 students from a predominantly low-income area. Most elementary schools serve grades PK-6, while Nicholas J. Begich Middle School serves grades 6-8 and Bartlett High School covers PK-12, though it is labeled alternative. Across the ZIP code, proficiency in English language arts, math, and science lags well behind district and state averages.
Scenic Park Elementary is the clear standout, outperforming district and state averages in all three subjects and ranking in the 63rd percentile of Alaska elementary schools. It also has the lowest poverty rate in the ZIP code at 38.86% free/reduced lunch eligibility. By contrast, Muldoon Elementary ranks last among all 166 Alaska elementary schools, with just 6.28% math proficiency compared to Scenic Park's 48.19%. Susitna Elementary offers a bright spot in science at 42.19% proficiency despite serving a high-poverty population. Among secondary schools, Highland Academy Charter posts a strong 91.6% graduation rate versus the district's 83.2%, while Bartlett High School's graduation rate is 80.6% and its math proficiency is just 12.23%.
Six of the ZIP code's seven elementary schools rank in the bottom quintile of Alaska elementary schools. Baxter Elementary showed dramatic year-over-year improvement, jumping from the 1st to 11th percentile, though single-year changes warrant caution. Notably, higher spending does not clearly yield stronger results: Chester Valley Elementary and Ptarmigan Elementary spend over $20,000 per student, well above Scenic Park's $13,687, yet post some of the lowest scores in the area. Families will find stark contrasts in 99504, with Scenic Park standing apart academically while most other schools face serious challenges, especially in math.
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