District profile / Alaska

Northwest Arctic Borough School District

Kotzebue, Alaska · Public school district · #13 of 17 Alaska districts by enrollment

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1,945

Students

2024-25 school year

Schools

2024-25 school year

$35,081

Spending per student

FY2020-21 · 62% above the Alaska median

15.9

Students per teacher

2024-25 · Alaska median 16.7

Northwest Arctic Borough School District is a public school district based in Kotzebue, Alaska, serving 1,945 students in 13 schools. By enrollment it ranks #13 of the 17 Alaska districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 25% of them. Its schools average 150 students each, fewer than the Alaska median of 227. It spends about $35,081 per student on day-to-day operations, 62% more than the Alaska median. It has roughly 15.9 students per teacher.

How Northwest Arctic Borough compares

Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaska median, districts with 1,000+ students

Spending per student$35,081

Alaska median $21,685 · 62% above · FY2020-21

Instruction spending per student$15,247

Alaska median $12,224 · 25% above · FY2020-21

Students per school150

Alaska median 227 · 34% below · 2024-25

Students per teacher15.9

Alaska median 16.7 · about the same · 2024-25

Students per counselor324

Alaska median 454 · 29% below · 2024-25

Spending and staffing

Where the money comes from$83.5 million in revenue · FY2020-21

Federal 15%State 73%Local 12%

Measure	Northwest Arctic Borough	Alaska median	Year
Current spending per student	$35,081	$21,685	FY2020-21
Instruction spending per student	$15,247	$12,224	FY2020-21
Total spending	$91.8 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Total revenue	$83.5 million	n/a	FY2020-21
Teachers (full-time equivalent)	122	n/a	2024-25
Total staff (full-time equivalent)	301	n/a	2024-25
Students per teacher	15.9	16.7	2024-25
Students per counselor	324	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
Kodiak Island Borough School DistrictKodiak	2,122	12	$24,102	14.2	#10
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School DistrictKetchikan	2,043	9	$22,299	13.9	#11
Lower Yukon School DistrictMountain Village	2,027	11	$33,959	15.8	#12
Northwest Arctic Borough School DistrictKotzebue · this district	1,945	13	$35,081	15.9	#13
North Slope Borough School DistrictUtqiagvik	1,853	11	$38,413	11.4	#14

Similar-size districts nationally

District	Students	Spending per student	Students per teacher
Murray IndependentMurray, KY	1,946	$13,340	15.3
Tecumseh Public SchoolsTecumseh, OK	1,946	$9,581	16.0
Breitung Township School DistrictKingsford, MI	1,945	$10,665	17.4
Franklin County Community School CorporationBrookville, IN	1,944	$10,699	15.1

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-northwest-arctic-borough-school-district