Kenai Central High School is photographed on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central High School is photographed on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

State releases annual school progress report, new system

New student progress reports were released from the state Department of Education and Early Development Tuesday.

Superintendent Sean Dusek said in a press release Tuesday that the majority of the district’s schools were doing very well.

“While every school is working hard to improve, we have some schools that will develop plans to address specific areas identified through their designation,” Dusek said. “I appreciate the efforts of our staff in ensuring high student academic achievement and the attitude of continuous improvement. We look forward to next year’s results as we expect even more student learning growth.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The rating system is new and replaces the Alaska State Performance Index, which used a star system of rating. The new ranking, called System for School Success Reports, is a federal requirement of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Each school in the state is ranked on a 100-point scale based on student growth and proficiency in state assessments, chronic absenteeism, high school graduation and student growth in learning English for students who are enrolled as English Language Learners. Every year each school will receive an index score.

The average index score for schools on the peninsula was 54.12. Aurora Borealis Charter School in Kenai is the highest rated at 93.48 and the lowest rating of 18.9 is at Nanwalek School. Nearby school districts had similar ratings with the average school in the Anchorage School District ranking 54.63 and the average school in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District at 55.72.

Elementary, middle and high schools have different focus areas when it comes to scoring. Each school is given a designation, including comprehensive support and improvement, targeted support and improvement and universal support.

“The primary purpose of these school designations is to provide information for families, tribes, communities, educators, and policymakers to plan and support an equitable education for each student in Alaska’s public school system,” Alaska Education Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson said in a Tuesday press release.

Find individual school rankings at education.alaska.gov.

More in News

Cars drive through the rain on the Warren Ames Memorial Bridge on Bridge Access Road over the swift Kenai River on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
State Parks describes Kenai Peninsula projects slated for this summer

There are 11 projects described in a press release from the State Department of Natural Resources.

Professor of Process Technology Jeffrey Laube explains equipment to Kachemak Bay Campus Director Brian Partridge at a showcase of Kenai Peninsula College’s career and technical education programs in the college’s Career and Technical Center in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula College showcases career programs to Board of Regents

A group of KPC students were first to speak during the full board meeting Thursday afternoon.

Orion Willis, a student of Soldotna Montessori, holds up a rainbow trout he caught during Salmon in the Classroom ice fishing at Sport Lake in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Annual ADFG student ice fishing trip stymied by warm weather

Owing to continued warm weather, the annual Salmon in the Classroom ice… Continue reading

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney speaks during a meeting of the UA Board of Regents at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Pitney: UA, KPC seeing momentum, attendance growth

The university president described KPC as “a leader of the pack” in enrollment growth at the university

University of Alaska Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins speaks during a meeting at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 22, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Where does this end?’: University of Alaska to strip diversity and inclusivity language from programs, policies

The board was clear during the meeting that they were responding to pressure from the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich holds a telephone town hall on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Screenshot from the Facebook page of U.S. Rep. Nick Begich)
Murkowski, Begich host telephone town halls to address constituent concerns

Both events were inaccessible to some, who grew frustrated at technical problems

Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaks on the House floor on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Education funding bill unexpectedly advances again, nears House floor vote amid affordability concerns

HB 69 clears Finance Committee at first hearing as minority says discussions there are not worthwhile.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai accepts federal grant for police vests

The funds entirely cover the purchase of three ballistic vests this fiscal year.

Soldotna High School student Ethan Anding asks a question during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
District discusses $17M deficit at community meeting

More than 100 people gathered in the KCHS auditorium.

Most Read