Best High Schools in Zip Code 99701

ZIP code 99701 in Fairbanks, Alaska, contains two very different public high school options: Lathrop High School, a large traditional school serving grades 9–12 with 788 students, and Golden Heart Academy, a tiny program serving grades 5–12 with just 13 students. Both belong to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which ranks 14th out of 23 Alaska districts with 2 stars.

Lathrop High School is the only school in this ZIP code with current performance data. Its most recent state ranking placed it 40th out of 62 Alaska high schools, or the 35th percentile. Its 2024–25 graduation rate was 78.2%, below the district average of 81.2%, meaning roughly one in five students did not graduate on time. Academically, Lathrop's 9th-grade math proficiency was 19.0%—low in absolute terms but actually slightly above the district (17.7%) and state (17.9%) averages for 9th grade. Science is a relative strength: Lathrop's 10th-grade science proficiency was 39.3%, above the state average of 33.0% and just below the district's 40.7%. ELA is the weakest area, with only 26.9% of 9th graders proficient, trailing the district by 5.5 points. By contrast, Golden Heart Academy reports almost no current academic data—no test scores, no state ranking, and a 0.0% graduation rate. It spends an extraordinary $40,541 per student with a 5.4-to-1 student-teacher ratio, more than double Lathrop's $18,189 per student and 17.2-to-1 ratio, but there is no evidence this investment produces strong outcomes.

For parents, the practical takeaway is that ZIP code 99701 offers one viable mainstream choice. Lathrop High School is a mid-tier school within a mid-tier district: its rankings have been stable but mediocre, its math is on par with same-grade peers, and its science is competitive with the district average. However, the below-average graduation rate, declining ELA scores, and math and ELA proficiency rates below 27% are genuine concerns. Golden Heart Academy's tiny size means its reported figures are statistically unstable, and the absence of outcome data makes judging its effectiveness impossible.