Best Public Schools in Zip Code 99829

ZIP code 99829 is served by a single school, Hoonah City School, a PK–12 alternative school that enrolls about 110 students in the small community of Hoonah, Alaska. Because this is the only school in the area, there are no other local schools to compare it against, and the school’s performance is best understood in relation to Alaska statewide averages. The school belongs to the Hoonah City School District, which is essentially the same entity as the school itself.

Hoonah City School serves every grade level from preschool through 12th grade under one roof, which is common in rural Alaska but rare elsewhere. The student-to-teacher ratio is a low 9.1 to 1, suggesting relatively small classes and the potential for strong student-teacher relationships. The graduation rate for 2024–2025 is 83.3%, a solid figure for such a small school. However, test scores are mostly below state averages. For the 2025–2026 school year, 23.33% of students were proficient in English language arts, 18.03% in mathematics, and 20.00% in science, compared with state averages of 32.89%, 32.20%, and 37.81%, respectively. Scores did improve slightly from the previous year in all three subjects, with science showing the largest gain.

There are some bright spots by grade level. In 7th grade ELA, 33.33% of students were proficient, above the state average of 29.52%, and in 4th grade math, 37.50% were proficient, also above the state average of 34.83%. These results show the school can be competitive at certain grade levels. It is also worth noting that 64.55% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage that often correlates with lower test scores. Overall, Hoonah City School offers a close-knit, small-class environment, a credible graduation rate, and steadily improving academic performance, but faces the challenge of raising proficiency in core subjects while supporting a predominantly low-income student population.