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Denali Elementary

Summary:

Denali Elementary is a public elementary school in Fairbanks, Alaska, serving 292 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which is ranked 13 out of 24 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

Denali Elementary faces significant challenges in academic performance, consistently ranking in the bottom half of Alaska elementary schools over the past 8 years. The school's test scores are significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 27.56% of Denali students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 35% for the district and 31.5% for the state. The school also struggles to support its diverse student population, with lower rankings for female students, male students, White students, and multi-racial students compared to their peers statewide. Additionally, Denali Elementary has a high percentage of students (60.27%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Despite having a lower student-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending than nearby schools like Woodriver Elementary and Watershed Charter School, Denali Elementary's academic performance lags significantly behind these higher-performing schools, which consistently rank in the top 10-35 elementary schools in Alaska. The diverse racial/ethnic composition and high percentage of students from low-income families at Denali Elementary may be contributing factors to the school's lower academic performance compared to its peers.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

 1042 Lathrop St
       Fairbanks, AK  99701-4198

(907) 452-2456

District: Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
132nd of 173 Alaska Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $19,887 Help


Students who attend Denali Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Ryan Middle School
High:    Lathrop High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.8 Help
Number of students:  286

Racial breakdown:

White:
31.8%
Two or more races:
26.6%
Hispanic:
14.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  55.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Denali Elementary ranks worse than 76.3% of elementary schools in Alaska. It also ranks 17th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.07. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Denali Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (31.8%), two or more races (26.6%), American Indian (14.7%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 55.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Denali Elementary is 16.8, which is the 6th best among 19 elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Denali Elementary employs 17 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Denali Elementary is $19,887, which is the 3rd highest among 19 elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Denali Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Denali Elementary 132nd of 173 Alaska public elementary schools. (See Denali Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Fairbanks North Star Borough School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Fairbanks North Star Borough School District 13th of 24 Alaska school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Denali Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 58.93 109th 213 48.8%
2006 57.08 117th 218 46.3%
2007 64.84 92nd 212 56.6%
2008 57.55 116th 219 47.0%
2009 57.01 114th 226 49.6%
2010 59.70 109th 229 52.4%
2011 62.98 98th 223 56.1%
2012 54.09 122nd 227 46.3%
2013 58.23 111th 223 50.2%
2014 50.05 130th 218 40.4%
2015 45.48 130th 246 47.2%
2017 30.11 137th 180 23.9%
2018 25.25 153rd 186 17.7%
2019 22.86 153rd 185 17.3%
2021 20.10 146th 173 15.6%
2022 15.97 151st 171 11.7%
2023 16.61 150th 176 14.8%
2024 25.07 132nd 173 23.7%
See the entire list of Alaska Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 28.88 63rd 73 13.7%
2022 35.50 44th 58 24.1%
2023 14.49 71st 74 4.1%
2024 30.94 54th 68 20.6%
See the entire list of Best Alaska Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 17.72 132nd 147 10.2%
2021 27.08 83rd 110 24.5%
2023 10.39 115th 119 3.4%
2024 18.24 102nd 122 16.4%
See the entire list of Best Alaska Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 24.58 132nd 159 17.0%
2021 14.86 126th 141 10.6%
2022 12.97 133rd 143 7.0%
2023 14.63 133rd 152 12.5%
2024 22.28 116th 142 18.3%
See the entire list of Best Alaska Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 22.43 134th 159 15.7%
2021 30.70 107th 142 24.6%
2022 26.47 115th 148 22.3%
2023 18.41 126th 148 14.9%
2024 17.50 131st 150 12.7%
See the entire list of Best Alaska Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Denali Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AK State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 25.07 124th 147 15.6%
2021 33.44 99th 127 22.0%
2022 22.88 117th 137 14.6%
2023 15.03 128th 138 7.2%
2024 34.77 96th 133 27.8%
See the entire list of Best Alaska Elementary 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.

Denali Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

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Enrollment information for Denali Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 203 19 4 11 44 n/a n/a 0 281
1990 281 30 8 15 84 n/a n/a 0 418
1991 317 17 10 10 89 n/a n/a 0 443
1992 338 16 11 14 104 n/a n/a 0 483
1993 321 21 15 18 95 n/a n/a 0 470
1994 328 26 17 14 103 n/a n/a 0 488
1995 258 38 8 11 107 n/a n/a 0 422
1996 258 38 8 11 107 n/a n/a 0 422
1997 268 32 11 12 103 n/a n/a 0 426
1998 277 38 17 16 100 n/a n/a 0 448
1999 269 48 10 21 98 n/a n/a 0 446
2000 290 43 6 23 92 n/a n/a 0 454
2001 271 50 9 24 79 n/a n/a 0 433
2002 242 29 23 14 82 n/a n/a 0 390
2003 242 29 23 14 82 n/a n/a 0 390
2004 228 34 20 18 88 n/a n/a 0 388
2005 218 41 16 19 84 n/a n/a 0 378
2006 211 55 23 18 81 n/a n/a 0 388
2007 243 62 22 17 69 n/a n/a 0 413
2008 220 56 31 26 52 n/a n/a 0 385
2009 179 42 19 50 54 2 57 0 403
2010 197 53 20 35 57 10 0 0 372
2011 193 32 11 33 41 7 59 0 376
2012 180 30 13 35 47 4 56 0 365
2013 190 38 16 34 52 5 63 0 398
2014 178 45 15 30 65 5 63 0 401
2015 176 32 21 33 54 3 70 0 389
2016 145 32 22 40 56 13 77 0 385
2017 140 23 17 44 57 15 79 0 375
2018 136 26 15 26 56 8 78 0 345
2019 121 19 13 29 38 9 92 0 321
2020 122 20 16 35 34 4 104 0 335
2021 84 17 12 27 29 2 71 0 242
2022 86 19 11 35 45 1 73 0 270
2023 89 19 11 43 44 8 78 0 292
2024 91 17 12 42 42 6 76 0 286

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 Denali Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 281 29.0 9.6 22.8
1990 418 23.5 17.7 24.6
1991 443 24.5 18.0 26.4
1992 483 24.5 19.7 20.1
1993 470 24.5 19.2 20.6
1994 488 24.5 19.9 19.9
1995 422 22.5 18.8 32.5
1996 422 22.5 18.8 32.5
1997 426 22.5 18.9 31.9
1998 448 24.0 18.7 37.1
1999 446 24.5 18.2 37.7
2000 454 24.0 18.9 39
2001 433 25.0 17.3 35.8
2002 390 24.0 16.3 39.7
2003 390 24.0 16.3 39.7
2004 388 22.0 17.6 37.4
2005 378 22.0 17.2 39.2
2006 388 22.2 17.5 45.1
2007 413 22.0 18.8 41.9
2008 385 24.0 16.0 43.4
2009 403 23.6 17.1 42.2
2010 372 23.4 15.9 44.9
2011 376 23.9 15.7 50.8
2012 365 22.4 16.2 50.1
2013 398 23.5 16.9 58
2014 401 23.0 17.4 57.1
2015 389 25.0 15.5 58.4
2016 385 22.0 17.5 55.8
2017 375 22.0 17.0 54.4
2018 345 22.0 15.6 49.3
2019 321 19.5 16.4 49.5
2020 335 18.5 18.1 52.5
2021 242 16.0 15.1 n/a
2022 270 14.0 19.2 n/a
2023 292 18.2 16.0 60.3
2024 286 17.0 16.8 55.9

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 Denali Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 281 29.0 9.6 22.8
1990 418 23.5 17.7 24.6
1991 443 24.5 18.0 26.4
1992 483 24.5 19.7 20.1
1993 470 24.5 19.2 20.6
1994 488 24.5 19.9 19.9
1995 422 22.5 18.8 32.5
1996 422 22.5 18.8 32.5
1997 426 22.5 18.9 31.9
1998 448 24.0 18.7 37.1
1999 446 24.5 18.2 37.7
2000 454 24.0 18.9 39
2001 433 25.0 17.3 35.8
2002 390 24.0 16.3 39.7
2003 390 24.0 16.3 39.7
2004 388 22.0 17.6 37.4
2005 378 22.0 17.2 39.2
2006 388 22.2 17.5 45.1
2007 413 22.0 18.8 41.9
2008 385 24.0 16.0 43.4
2009 403 23.6 17.1 42.2
2010 372 23.4 15.9 44.9
2011 376 23.9 15.7 50.8
2012 365 22.4 16.2 50.1
2013 398 23.5 16.9 58
2014 401 23.0 17.4 57.1
2015 389 25.0 15.5 58.4
2016 385 22.0 17.5 55.8
2017 375 22.0 17.0 54.4
2018 345 22.0 15.6 49.3
2019 321 19.5 16.4 49.5
2020 335 18.5 18.1 52.5
2021 242 16.0 15.1 n/a
2022 270 14.0 19.2 n/a
2023 292 18.2 16.0 60.3
2024 286 17.0 16.8 55.9

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 Denali Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,013 (10.1%) $17,873 (89.9%) $19,887

Data source: Alaska Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Denali Elementary

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 153rd of 185 Elementary schoolsRanks 150th of 176 Elementary schools
 2.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
All Grades Science (Denali Elementary)34.721.7
 13%
   All Grades Science (Fairbanks North Star Borough School District)51.242.8
 8.4%
   All Grades Science (Alaska)44.736.9
 7.7%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students321292
 9%
African American1919
American Indian3844
 15.8%
Asian1311
 15.4%
Hispanic2943
 48.3%
Pacific Islander98
 11.1%
White12189
 26.4%
Two or More Races9278
 15.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients49.5%60.3%
 10.7%

Schools Near Denali Elementary








Frequently Asked Questions about Denali Elementary

In the 2023-24 school year, 286 students attended Denali Elementary.

Students at Denali Elementary are 32% White, 27% Two or more races, 15% Hispanic, 15% American Indian, 6% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

Students who attend Denali Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ryan Middle School
High : Lathrop High School

Denali Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.7% of Alaska elementary schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Developmenr.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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