District profile / Alaska

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

Fairbanks, Alaska · Public school district · #3 of 17 Alaska districts by enrollment

Compare with peers

11,857

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$20,536

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 5% below the Alaska median

19.5

Students per teacher

2024-25 · Alaska median 16.7

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is a public school district based in Fairbanks, Alaska, serving 11,857 students in 33 schools. By enrollment it ranks #3 of the 17 Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 88% of them. Its schools average 359 students each, more than the Alaska median of 227. It spends about $20,536 per student on day-to-day operations, 5% less than the Alaska median. It has roughly 19.5 students per teacher.

How Fairbanks North Star Borough compares

Fairbanks North Star BoroughAlaska median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$20,536

Alaska median $21,685 · 5% below · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$11,545

Alaska median $12,224 · 6% below · FY2020-21

Students per school359

Alaska median 227 · 58% above · 2024-25

Students per teacher19.5

Alaska median 16.7 · 17% above · 2024-25

Students per counselor276

Alaska median 454 · 39% below · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$230.0 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 16%State 62%Local 22%

Measure	Fairbanks North Star Borough	Alaska median	Year
Current spending per student	$20,536	$21,685	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$11,545	$12,224	FY2020-21
Total spending	$239.0 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$230.0 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	608	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	1,515	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	19.5	16.7	2024-25
Students per counselor	276	454	2024-25

Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Alaska median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.

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Peer districts in Alaska

Compare side by side →

District	Students	Schools	Spending per student	Students per teacher	Rank
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School DistrictPalmer	19,495	49	$16,925	19.2	#2
Fairbanks North Star Borough School DistrictFairbanks · this district	11,857	33	$20,536	19.5	#3
Kenai Peninsula Borough School DistrictSoldotna	8,510	42	$20,456	16.7	#4
Galena City School DistrictGalena	8,168	4	$4,611	80.1	#5
Juneau Borough School DistrictJuneau	4,085	13	$21,685	17.7	#6

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Perris Union HighPerris, CA	11,832	$12,648	23.8
Liberty 53Liberty, MO	11,826	$11,255	13.8
Walled Lake Consolidated SchoolsWalled Lake, MI	11,818	$12,504	17.0
Spartanburg 02Chesnee, SC	11,806	$10,370	15.9

Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.

Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-ak-fairbanks-north-star-borough-school-district