Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is a public school district based in Fairbanks, Alaska (USA). With a student enrollment of slightly over 14,000, it is the state's second largest public school district.^[1]

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
School district headquarters building in downtown Fairbanks.
Location
Fairbanks, Alaska United States
Coordinates	64°50′31.5″N 147°43′04″W
District information
Type	Public school district
Students and staff
Students	14,000
Other information
Website	Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

The district encompasses all of Fairbanks North Star Borough,^[2] an area of 7,361 square miles (19,060 km²), which is roughly equal to the size of Rhode Island, Delaware, and Connecticut combined,^[3] or to the state of Israel.^{[citation needed]}

History

In 1904 the first public school opened in Fairbanks.^[4] This building was made of wood, and was destroyed by a fire on December 4, 1932. A replacement facility, named Main School and now known as Fairbanks City Hall, opened on January 22, 1934. Additional schools began opening circa the 1940s and 1950s.^[5]

For the 2011–2012 school year, enrollment in the district was 14,260. For the 2021–2022 school year, enrollment was 12,268, down 14% from the 2011–2012 school year.^[6]

In February 2022, the school board made several decisions, including one to close three elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which would save the district $3 million a year. The school district made the decision based a on $20 million budget shortfall. Alaska Public Media reported that "The district will also restructure district middle schools to encompass grades 6 through 8, while most elementary schools will become K-5 schools."^[7] In 2022 the school district set the grade configuration of middle schools to grades 6-8.^[8]

Schools

Senior high schools

Hutchison High School.

• Grades 9-12
  • Hutchison High School (Fairbanks)
  • Lathrop High School (Fairbanks)
  • North Pole High School (North Pole)
    • It is the zoned high school for Eielson Air Force Base.^[9]
  • West Valley High School (Fairbanks)

Middle schools

• Grades 6-8
  • North Pole Middle School (North Pole)
  • Randy Smith Middle School (Fairbanks)
  • Ryan Middle School (Fairbanks)
  • Tanana Middle School (Fairbanks)

Elementary/Middle Schools

• Grades K-8
  • Barnette Magnet School (Fairbanks)
  • Two Rivers School (Fairbanks)

Elementary schools

• Grades K-5
  • Anne Hopkins Wien Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Arctic Light Elementary School (Fort Wainwright)
  • Two Rivers Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Denali Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Hunter Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Ladd Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Midnight Sun Elementary School (Fairbanks)
    • It was formerly Badger Road Elementary School and renamed in 2017.^[10] The school was renamed because the previous namesake, Badger Road, was named after Harry Badger (died in 1965), who had, in 1916, been convicted of committing a criminal act against a child.^[11]
  • North Pole Elementary School (North Pole)
  • Pearl Creek Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Salcha Elementary School (Salcha)
  • Emily Ticasuk Ivanoff Brown Elementary School (Fairbanks)
    • Its namesake is Ticasuk Brown.
  • University Park Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Weller Elementary School (Fairbanks)
  • Woodriver Elementary School (Fairbanks)

Charter schools

• Grades 7-12
  • Effie Kokrine Charter School (Fairbanks)
  • Star of the North Secondary Charter School
    • North Pole Academy (North Pole)
    • Career Education Center (Fairbanks)
• Grades K-8
  • Chinook Charter Montessori School (Fairbanks)
  • The Watershed School (Fairbanks)
  • Barnette Magnet School (Fairbanks)

Alternative Programs

• Guided Independent Studies Home Schooling Program

Former schools

• Grades 7-12
  • Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High School (Eielson AFB) - The school closed in 2024.^[12] The closure was due to a loss in funds.^[13]
• Elementary schools
  • Anderson Elementary School (Eielson AFB, grades K-2) - In 2022 Anderson closed.^[14]
  • Joy Elementary School (Fairbanks, later a K-8 school) - Closed in 2022.^[15]
  • Main Elementary School - Originally named Main School, it opened on January 22, 1934 to replace a school which had burned down. It received its final name by 1955. It closed in 1976, had several other uses, and became Fairbanks City Hall.^[5]
  • Nordale Elementary School - In 2022 it was scheduled to become a facility for alternative education programs.^[8]
• Alternative schools
  • Howard Luke Academy (high school)^[16] - It was named after Howard Luke.^[17] Effie Kokrine Charter School is located in the ex-Howard Luke facility.^[18]

Enrollment

2007-2008 School Year: 14,227 Students^[19]
2006-2007 School Year: 15,017 Students^[20]
2005-2006 School Year: 14,677 Students^[21]
2004-2005 School Year: 14,754 Students^[22]
2003-2004 School Year: 14,810 Students^[23]

Demographics

There were a total of 14,227 students enrolled in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District during the 2007–2008 school year. Of these, 14,031 were enrolled in grades K-12 and 196 were pre-elementary (early childhood) students. The racial makeup of the district was 66.65% White, 14.45% Alaska Native, 8.34% African American, 5.48% Hispanic, 4.05% Asian, 0.79% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 0.24% American Indian.^[1]

See also

• List of school districts in Alaska