Best Public Schools in Zip Code 99676

Zip code 99676 covers the small Talkeetna community in Alaska, where just two public schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District serve students from preschool through 12th grade: Talkeetna Elementary (PK–5; 121 students) and Susitna Valley High (grades 6–12; 233 students). Because the area has no standalone middle school, Susitna Valley High serves as the combined middle and high school.

When comparing the two schools, Talkeetna Elementary posts stronger 2025–2026 proficiency than Susitna Valley High in every subject — ELA at 38.8% versus 37.3%, math at 42.0% versus 27.0%, and science at 61.1% versus 45.6% — despite having a higher share of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (62.8% versus 49.8%). Talkeetna Elementary's math and science results exceed state averages by roughly 10 and 23 points respectively, while Susitna Valley High's science is above the state and shows real momentum, following a jump from roughly 30.7% a year earlier. Math at Susitna Valley High, however, sits at just 27.0% overall, far below the district average of 42.0%.

Both schools have shown improvement, but Susitna Valley High stands out for its dramatic climb in state rankings: from the 10th percentile and 1 star in 2023–24, it rose to the 55th percentile with a 3-star rating in 2025–26. There are also areas to watch — Talkeetna Elementary's math proficiency slips from 53.3% at 3rd grade to 33.3% at 5th grade, and Susitna Valley High's 81.4% graduation rate trails the district's 84.2%. Finally, with just 121 and 233 students respectively, these small schools can see large year-to-year swings in scores when only a handful of students change results, so the data should be read with that context in mind.