Roman Kosolapov // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Focus Homeschool
- School type: Public School
- Location: Chugach School District, AK
- Enrollment: 564 (63:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Best high schools in the Anchorage metro area
According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 15.5 million students attend public high school every year, and more than 3.76 million are expected to graduate in 2025. However, those students have a wide variety of experiences over the course of their high school careers.
To start, issues surrounding equal educational access persist throughout the United States. A January 2025 report published in Frontiers found that disparities across socioeconomic status, race, gender, and geography can lead to negative outcomes and the perpetuation of systemic barriers.
Outside of these issues, students also pursue many different paths within high school. Roughly 8.3 million high schoolers attend educational programs to prepare for careers in fields like transportation, landscaping, and culinary arts. Meanwhile, nearly 2.5 million are in dual enrollment programs that offer high school and college credit for the same course, allowing students to get a jump on higher education degrees.
Dual enrollment programs are particularly useful considering that more than 3 in 5 (61%) high school graduates head to college, per a 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Unfortunately, high school doesn't always guarantee college success. In 2024, the average SAT score declined for the third straight year, and nearly 2 in 5 (39%) test-takers met or exceeded the test's college readiness benchmarks. ACT scores are also on the decline year over year, down to 19.4 out of 36, and just 3 in 10 students met at least three of the ACT's college readiness benchmarks.
With that said, attending a quality high school will typically help prepare students for their next steps in life, whether that's college, technical school, or going straight into the workforce. Stacker compiled a list of the best high schools in the Anchorage metro area using data from Niche, which uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. Most of the score is based on academics, but other factors include culture and diversity; sports; clubs and activities; resources; and surveys of parents, teachers, and students.
You may also like: Highest-rated restaurants for tacos in the Anchorage area by diners
Studio KIWI // Shutterstock
2 / 25#24. Birchwood Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Chugiak, AK
- Enrollment: 292 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
3 / 25#23. Alaska Middle College School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 182 (91:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
4 / 25#22. Bartlett High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,373 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 25#21. Wasilla High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 848 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B
You may also like: Highest-paying jobs in Anchorage that don't require a college degree
Achira22 // Shutterstock
6 / 25#20. Highland Academy Charter School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 197 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
7 / 25#19. Palmer High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 760 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Daniel Hoz // Shutterstock
8 / 25#18. Chugiak High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 905 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
9 / 25#17. Alaska Middle College School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 255 (85:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
10 / 25#16. Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,745 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
You may also like: Best places to live in the Anchorage metro area
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
11 / 25#15. Grace Christian School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Anchorage, AK
- Enrollment: 529 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
12 / 25#14. Colony High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,117 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+
maroke // Shutterstock
13 / 25#13. Service High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,544 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
14 / 25#12. Polaris K-12 School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 495 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 25#11. Martin Luther King Jr. Technical High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 106 (4:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
You may also like: Highest-paying management jobs for people in Anchorage
maroke // Shutterstock
16 / 25#10. Eagle River High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 791 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 25#9. Lumen Christi Catholic High School
- School type: Private School
- Location: Anchorage, AK
- Enrollment: 132 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
panitanphoto // Shutterstock
18 / 25#8. Dimond High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,443 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Mircea Moira // Shutterstock
19 / 25#7. South Anchorage High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,318 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
20 / 25#6. Paideia Cooperative School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 172 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
You may also like: Best private K-12 schools in the Anchorage metro area
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
21 / 25#5. Mat-Su Career & Tech Education High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 743 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A minus
Joyseulay // Shutterstock
22 / 25#4. West High School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,763 (21:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
LStockStudio // Shutterstock
23 / 25#3. Steller Secondary School
- School type: Public School
- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 240 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
24 / 25#2. American Charter Academy
- School type: Public School
- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 186 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
sirtravelalot // Shutterstock
25 / 25#1. Holy Rosary Academy
- School type: Private School
- Location: Anchorage, AK
- Enrollment: 155 (9:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 97 metros.
You may also like: Highest-rated fine dining restaurants in the Anchorage area by diners
