Best Public Schools in Zip Code 99762

Zip code 99762 encompasses six schools serving 733 students in western Alaska, spanning the Nome area plus remote communities like Golovin and Diomede, split between the Nome Public Schools and Bering Strait School District.

The clear academic standout is Anvil City Science Academy, a small middle school ranked in the 59th percentile of Alaska middle schools that outperforms the state average in math, English language arts, and science despite 100% of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. In contrast, Nome-Beltz Middle/High, the zone's only traditional high school, has improved from the bottom of the state rankings but still shows just 4.1% math proficiency and a 10th-percentile rank. Nome Elementary sits in between, with 22.2% math proficiency and 17.7% ELA proficiency, both below state averages in a school where 99% of students face economic disadvantage. This creates a striking gap within the Nome Public Schools district, where the top magnet-style middle school and lower-performing traditional schools coexist under one district umbrella.

Among the smaller alternative schools, Martin L. Olson School in Golovin posts a perfect 100% graduation rate and district-relative strength in science and ELA, with the lowest poverty rate in the area at 48.7%. Diomede School costs $58,197 per student and maintains a 7.3:1 student-teacher ratio, but reports no test scores. Extensions Correspondence offers a low-cost alternative at $5,868 per student with a 50% graduation rate. Overall, math is the weakest subject across traditional schools, graduation rates do not correlate with test proficiency, and the spending gap between the cheapest and most expensive schools in this zip code exceeds $52,000 per student.