Is Houston High School a good school?

Houston High School ranks 45 th of 63 Alaska high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Houston High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 358 students attended Houston High School.

What is the racial makeup of Houston High School?

Students at Houston High School are 64% White, 16% Two or more races, 11% American Indian, 6% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools feed into Houston High School?

Houston High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Big Lake Elementary Elementary : Meadow Lakes Elementary Middle : Houston Middle School

Houston High School

Summary:

Houston High School is a public high school located in Big Lake, Alaska, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 358 students. The school is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, which is ranked 8th out of 24 districts in Alaska and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Houston High School has a more diverse student population compared to nearby schools, with a higher percentage of Native American and multi-racial students, it consistently ranks in the bottom half of Alaska high schools in academic performance. The school's SchoolDigger star rating has ranged from 0 to 4 stars over the past 10 years, indicating below-average to average performance compared to other Alaska high schools. Additionally, Houston High School has a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 56.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2022-2023 school year.

Interestingly, despite having a lower student-teacher ratio (8.6-14.9) compared to the nearby schools, such as Colony High School, Mat-Su Career & Technical Educational High School, and Wasilla High School, Houston High School's academic performance has declined over the past 10 years, with the school consistently ranking in the bottom half of Alaska high schools. This suggests that the school's unique student demographics and resource allocation may be contributing factors to its academic struggles, and further investigation would be needed to identify specific areas for improvement.

Detail:

Public 9-12

12501 W Hawk Lane
Big Lake, AK 99652

(907) 892-9400

District: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
45^th of 63 Alaska High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,488

Feeder schools for Houston High School:

Elementary:	Big Lake Elementary
	Meadow Lakes Elementary
Middle:	Houston Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.9

Number of students: 358

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.2%

Two or more races:

16.2%

American Indian:

11.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 56.7%

See top rated Alaska high schools

Compare Houston High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Houston High School is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2021 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.64. (See more...)

Compare Details Houston High School ranks worse than 71.4% of high schools in Alaska. It also ranks 5^th among 8 ranked high schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 30.02. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (64.2%), two or more races (16.2%), American Indian (11.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 56.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Houston High School is 14.9, which is the 3^rd best among 8 high schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. (See more...)

Compare Houston High School employs 24 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Houston High School is $20,488, which is the 4^th highest among 8 high schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.

Schooldigger 2021 Rankings:

Houston High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Houston High School 45^th of 63 Alaska public high schools. (See Houston High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District 8^th of 24 Alaska school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Houston High School?

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Rank History for Houston High School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	AK State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	18.64	73^rd	84	13.1%

See the entire list of Alaska High School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Alaska Department of Education and Early Developmenr, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Houston High School

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Rank History for all high school students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile
2005	77.17	30^th	116	74.1%
2006	65.83	49^th	135	63.7%
2007	77.46	33^rd	139	76.3%
2008	70.90	40^th	151	73.5%
2009	72.24	41^st	151	72.8%
2010	79.71	19^th	140	86.4%
2011	80.00	22^nd	142	84.5%
2012	67.28	47^th	136	65.4%
2013	59.62	55^th	148	62.8%
2014	71.87	36^th	139	74.1%
2015	33.65	81^st	135	40.0%
2017	11.31	77^th	83	7.2%
2018	9.46	72^nd	74	2.7%
2019	15.17	70^th	77	9.1%
2021	12.09	56^th	61	8.2%
2022	16.20	56^th	62	9.7%
2023	11.65	56^th	62	9.7%
2024	30.02	45^th	63	28.6%

See the entire list of Alaska High School Rankings!

Rank History for high school Multi-racial students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	59.94	5^th	19	73.7%
2024	47.83	10^th	24	58.3%

See the entire list of Best Alaska High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile
2019	28.13	43^rd	55	21.8%
2021	15.79	33^rd	37	10.8%
2024	31.26	28^th	41	31.7%

See the entire list of Best Alaska High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for high school Female students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile
2019	18.14	47^th	54	13.0%
2021	7.00	36^th	37	2.7%
2022	11.83	41^st	43	4.7%
2023	10.99	49^th	54	9.3%
2024	39.81	30^th	45	33.3%

See the entire list of Best Alaska High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for high school Male students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile
2019	9.70	58^th	58	0.0%
2021	15.00	36^th	42	14.3%
2022	17.31	41^st	46	10.9%
2023	11.09	43^rd	47	8.5%
2024	20.98	41^st	48	14.6%

See the entire list of Best Alaska High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for high school White students at Houston High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	AK State Percentile
2019	9.14	54^th	56	3.6%
2021	2.17	43^rd	43	0.0%
2022	5.52	46^th	47	2.1%
2023	6.86	47^th	47	0.0%
2024	19.21	39^th	46	15.2%

See the entire list of Best Alaska High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Alaska Department of Education and Early Developmenr, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

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Enrollment information for Houston High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	460	1	2	6	21	n/a	n/a	0	490
1990	439	2	1	4	17	n/a	n/a	0	463
1991	461	1	0	6	21	n/a	n/a	0	489
1992	483	3	8	6	32	n/a	n/a	0	532
1993	500	1	7	11	38	n/a	n/a	0	557
1994	520	4	5	12	46	n/a	n/a	0	587
1995	511	6	1	11	49	n/a	n/a	5	583
1996	511	6	1	11	49	n/a	n/a	5	583
1997	422	2	1	3	52	n/a	n/a	0	480
1998	492	3	2	6	44	n/a	n/a	0	547
1999	518	4	5	6	44	n/a	n/a	0	577
2000	499	4	4	6	50	n/a	n/a	0	563
2001	493	3	3	7	53	n/a	n/a	0	559
2002	336	0	5	2	40	n/a	n/a	0	383
2003	336	0	5	2	40	n/a	n/a	0	383
2004	343	0	4	7	42	n/a	n/a	0	396
2005	395	0	7	8	44	n/a	n/a	0	454
2006	391	3	11	11	55	n/a	n/a	0	471
2007	368	5	9	10	52	n/a	n/a	0	444
2008	352	3	8	11	50	n/a	n/a	8	432
2009	329	4	7	11	54	4	7	0	416
2010	330	5	6	6	49	3	6	0	405
2011	309	7	2	7	53	7	3	0	388
2012	311	10	6	4	76	6	1	0	414
2013	284	5	8	7	84	9	0	0	397
2014	270	5	11	11	75	8	0	0	380
2015	269	3	14	15	73	11	0	0	385
2016	266	2	10	14	78	13	5	0	388
2017	276	3	5	11	74	12	10	0	391
2018	260	3	5	9	74	10	9	0	370
2019	244	2	4	8	61	12	12	0	343
2020	210	8	5	23	45	14	31	0	336
2021	230	4	4	28	49	10	54	0	379
2022	219	1	6	31	52	8	50	0	367
2023	230	1	5	20	41	3	58	0	358

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Houston High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	490	20.0	24.5	14.7
1990	463	27.0	17.1	13.6
1991	489	26.0	18.8	16.6
1992	532	26.0	20.4	17.3
1993	557	26.0	21.4	16.5
1994	587	26.0	22.6	15.7
1995	583	31.0	18.8	26.3
1996	583	31.0	18.8	26.3
1997	480	31.0	15.5	32.9
1998	547	32.0	17.1	37.5
1999	577	30.0	19.2	36.7
2000	563	29.0	19.4	33.9
2001	559	30.0	18.6	30.4
2002	383	33.0	11.6	36.6
2003	383	33.0	11.6	36.6
2004	396	23.0	17.2	29.3
2005	454	23.3	19.5	40.3
2006	471	26.5	17.8	35.7
2007	444	25.0	17.8	38.5
2008	432	24.0	18.0	32.5
2009	416	23.8	17.5	39.2
2010	405	24.9	16.2	43
2011	388	27.0	14.3	50.5
2012	414	22.9	18.0	52.9
2013	397	16.3	24.3	53.1
2014	380	20.1	18.8	52.4
2015	385	20.0	19.2	56.9
2016	388	22.0	17.6	50.5
2017	391	22.9	17.0	55.5
2018	370	22.3	16.5	60.3
2019	343	23.2	14.7	78.4
2020	336	44.5	7.5	100
2021	379	43.0	8.8	n/a
2022	367	42.4	8.6	n/a
2023	358	24.0	14.9	56.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Houston High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	490	20.0	24.5	14.7
1990	463	27.0	17.1	13.6
1991	489	26.0	18.8	16.6
1992	532	26.0	20.4	17.3
1993	557	26.0	21.4	16.5
1994	587	26.0	22.6	15.7
1995	583	31.0	18.8	26.3
1996	583	31.0	18.8	26.3
1997	480	31.0	15.5	32.9
1998	547	32.0	17.1	37.5
1999	577	30.0	19.2	36.7
2000	563	29.0	19.4	33.9
2001	559	30.0	18.6	30.4
2002	383	33.0	11.6	36.6
2003	383	33.0	11.6	36.6
2004	396	23.0	17.2	29.3
2005	454	23.3	19.5	40.3
2006	471	26.5	17.8	35.7
2007	444	25.0	17.8	38.5
2008	432	24.0	18.0	32.5
2009	416	23.8	17.5	39.2
2010	405	24.9	16.2	43
2011	388	27.0	14.3	50.5
2012	414	22.9	18.0	52.9
2013	397	16.3	24.3	53.1
2014	380	20.1	18.8	52.4
2015	385	20.0	19.2	56.9
2016	388	22.0	17.6	50.5
2017	391	22.9	17.0	55.5
2018	370	22.3	16.5	60.3
2019	343	23.2	14.7	78.4
2020	336	44.5	7.5	100
2021	379	43.0	8.8	n/a
2022	367	42.4	8.6	n/a
2023	358	24.0	14.9	56.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Houston High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$2,810 (13.7%)	$17,678 (86.3%)	$20,488

Data source: Alaska Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Houston High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 70^th of 77 High schools	Ranks 56^th of 62 High schools	0.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade Science (Houston High School)	37.3	24.4	13%
10th Grade Science (Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District)	59.5	39.7	19.8%
10th Grade Science (Alaska)	53.6	33	20.6%
All Grades Science (Houston High School)	37.3	24.4	13%
All Grades Science (Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District)	51	46.5	4.5%
All Grades Science (Alaska)	44.7	36.9	7.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	343	358	4.4%
African American	2	1	50%
American Indian	61	41	32.8%
Asian	4	5	25%
Hispanic	8	20	150%
Pacific Islander	12	3	75%
White	244	230	5.7%
Two or More Races	12	58	383.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	78.4%	56.7%	21.7%

Schools Near Houston High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				STAR English Language Arts (2024)					STAR Mathematics (2024)					ASA Science (2024)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	STAR English Language Arts 9th Grade	STAR English Language Arts All Grades	STAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAR Mathematics 9th Grade	STAR Mathematics All Grades	ASA Science 8th Grade	ASA Science 10th Grade	ASA Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Houston High School	Public	9-12	12501 W Hawk Lane	Big Lake	99652	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 892-9400	358	24	14.9	56.7%	230 (64.2%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.6%)	5 (1.4%)	41 (11.5%)	3 (0.8%)	58 (16.2%)	30	45^th of 63 public high schools	28.6%		11.7	56^th of 62 public high schools	9.7%	11				35.3	35.3				12.9	12.9		29.6	29.6	$20,488	$2,810	$17,678
Joe Redington Senior Junior/Senior High School	Public	6-12	10015 W Redington School Rd	Wasilla	99623	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 864-5400	556	31	17.7	67.3%	309 (55.6%)	6 (1.1%)	49 (8.8%)	9 (1.6%)	69 (12.4%)	7 (1.3%)	107 (19.2%)	14.6	55^th of 63 public high schools	12.7%		20.5	49^th of 62 public high schools	21.0%	6	29.4	28.8	23.5	26.8	27.3	34.1	23.3	24.3	8.3	23.7	29.0	21.4	25.2	$15,358	$1,294	$14,063
Burchell High School	Public	9-12	1775 W Parks Hwy	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 864-2600	208	13	16.0	60.1%	123 (59.1%)	3 (1.4%)	8 (3.8%)	1 (0.5%)	37 (17.8%)	1 (0.5%)	35 (16.8%)	11.2	58^th of 63 public high schools	7.9%		8.9	59^th of 62 public high schools	4.8%	1				21.1	21.1				16.7	16.7		13.2	13.2	$23,979	$5,024	$18,955
Wasilla High School	Public	9-12	701 E Bogard Rd	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(907) 352-8200	848	47	18.1	35.4%	554 (65.3%)	8 (0.9%)	59 (7.0%)	12 (1.4%)	83 (9.8%)	8 (0.9%)	124 (14.6%)	44.3	38^th of 63 public high schools	39.7%		47.5	30^th of 62 public high schools	51.6%	8				39.6	39.6				22.6	22.6		30.7	30.7	$14,988	$1,108	$13,880
Mat-Su Career & Technical Educational High School	Public	9-12	2472 N Seward Meridian Pkwy	Wasilla	99654	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 352-0400	743	42	17.5	23.8%	557 (75.0%)	4 (0.5%)	53 (7.1%)	8 (1.1%)	42 (5.7%)	5 (0.7%)	74 (10.0%)	74.8	12^th of 63 public high schools	81.0%		61.4	20^th of 62 public high schools	67.7%	8				43.2	43.2				42.2	42.2		42.9	42.9	$12,208	$273	$11,935
Chugiak High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	16525 S Birchwood Loop Rd	Chugiak	99567	Anchorage Municipality	Anchorage School District	No	Yes	No	No	(907) 742-3050	905	43	21.2	19.1%	602 (66.5%)	10 (1.1%)	77 (8.5%)	23 (2.5%)	51 (5.6%)	19 (2.1%)	123 (13.6%)	58.7	25^th of 63 public high schools	60.3%		70.5	16^th of 62 public high schools	74.2%	9				41.0	41.0				27.1	27.1		40.4	40.4	$15,696	$1,013	$14,683
Mat-Su Middle College School	Public	8-12	8295 East College Drive	Palmer	99645	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 746-8485	182	2	91.0	1.6%	122 (67.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (11.0%)	5 (2.7%)	12 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (12.6%)								(n/a)														$12,676	$94	$12,582
Colony High School	Public	9-12	9550 E Bogard Rd	Palmer	99645	Matanuska-Susitna Borough	Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(907) 861-5500	1,117	56	20.1	29.1%	760 (68.0%)	10 (0.9%)	92 (8.2%)	20 (1.8%)	83 (7.4%)	3 (0.3%)	149 (13.3%)	64.7	18^th of 63 public high schools	71.4%		66.7	17^th of 62 public high schools	72.6%	1				43.9	43.9				28.0	28.0		43.0	43.0	$12,195	$658	$11,537

Houston High School

Houston High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Houston High School

Rank History for Houston High School

Rank History for all high school students at Houston High School

Rank History for high school Multi-racial students at Houston High School

Rank History for high school Low Socio Economic Status students at Houston High School

Rank History for high school Female students at Houston High School

Rank History for high school Male students at Houston High School

Rank History for high school White students at Houston High School

Enrollment information for Houston High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Houston High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Houston High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Houston High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Houston High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Houston High School