Schools in Zip Code 99516

Zip code 99516 contains 6 schools within the Anchorage School District - five elementary schools (Bowman, O'Malley, Bear Valley, Rabbit Creek, and Huffman) and one high school (South Anchorage High School) - serving about 3,000 students in a high-performing residential area of Anchorage. This zip code is a clear academic standout within its district: every elementary school here exceeds the district average in science, ELA, and math, and the area's combined proficiency rates (roughly 60% science, 49% ELA, and 46% math) are far above district norms of 39%, 36%, and 36%. The clear standout is Bear Valley Elementary, ranked #5 in Alaska with 80% science proficiency, while Huffman Elementary posts the area's best ELA scores. South Anchorage High School ranks among the state's top five high schools with a 92.3% graduation rate.

There is meaningful variation between schools. Rabbit Creek Elementary holds a strong 4-star rating, but Bowman Elementary (3 stars) and O'Malley Elementary (3 stars) are worth watching after sharp ranking drops over the past two years. Lower free/reduced lunch rates generally align with stronger results - Bear Valley has the lowest poverty rate (8.5%) and best scores, while Bowman has the highest (28.9%) and the lowest proficiency. However, O'Malley breaks that pattern: despite a low 11.1% poverty rate, it saw the largest score drops in the data set, with science falling from 75% to 54.6%, suggesting cohort or instructional factors matter. Students at all five elementary schools show strong progress from 3rd to 5th grade, indicating solid skill-building through the elementary years.

The biggest warning flag is math at the high school level: South Anchorage's 34.2% math proficiency sits below the district average of 35.7%, even though it exceeds averages elsewhere. Given that its feeder elementary schools post some of the strongest math scores in Alaska, the middle-to-high-school transition deserves attention. Notably, higher spending does not guarantee results here - Bowman spends the most per student ($19,570) yet scores lowest, while Bear Valley spends the least ($12,945) and achieves the most. Overall, this is a strong school area anchored by Bear Valley, Huffman, and South Anchorage, with recent declines at Bowman and O'Malley balancing the gains at Bear Valley and Rabbit Creek.