Best public high schools in Alaska

As filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron said during a '96 commencement address at Wellesley College, "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." If that's the case, high school may be one of the greatest dress rehearsals of all.

It's a place where students explore their interests, dive into extracurricular activities, finally get the freedom to choose their own classes, and prepare for college or the workplace. For many of these students and their families, public education is key: 49.6 million students enrolled in public pre-K-12 schools in fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, about a third were in high school, enrolled across about 23,500 public secondary schools nationwide.

For many anxious parents, getting their kids into the best of these public high schools is of the utmost importance. Some families even move homes to get into better school districts. However, among all of these thousands of schools, a few stand out for their academic excellence, incredible track records, and the future success of their young students.

Stacker compiled a list of the best public high schools in Alaska using 2027 rankings from Niche. Niche uses seven weighted factors for its rankings. A majority 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 can read more about Niche's methodology here.

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#25. Sitka High School

- Location: Sitka School District, AK
- Enrollment: 305 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#24. Cordova Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Cordova City School District, AK
- Enrollment: 126 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#23. Service High School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,518 (24:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#22. Mt. Edgecumbe High School

- Location: Sitka, AK
- Enrollment: 422 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#21. Highland Academy Charter School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 200 (18:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#20. Eagle River High School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 771 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: B+

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#19. Haines High School

- Location: Haines Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 78 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#18. Petersburg High School

- Location: Petersburg Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 144 (12:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#17. Revilla Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 110 (10:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#16. Delta Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Delta-Greely School District, AK
- Enrollment: 126 (11:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#15. Interior Distance Education of Alaska (Idea)

- Location: Galena City School District, AK
- Enrollment: 7,876 (119:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#14. Polaris K-12 School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 483 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#13. River City Academy

- Location: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 79 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#12. Martin Luther King Jr. Technical High School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 124 (5:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#11. Homer High School

- Location: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 357 (19:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#10. Alaska Middle College School

- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 222 (111:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#9. Unalaska Junior/Senior High School

- Location: Unalaska City School District, AK
- Enrollment: 174 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#8. South Anchorage High School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,239 (23:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#7. Valdez High School

- Location: Valdez City School District, AK
- Enrollment: 175 (13:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#6. Mat-Su Career & Tech Education High School

- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 705 (17:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A-

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#5. Steller Secondary School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 305 (20:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#4. West High School

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 1,702 (22:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#3. Tanalian School

- Location: Lake & Peninsula Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 40 (8:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#2. AKChoice K-12 Learning

- Location: Anchorage School District, AK
- Enrollment: 283 (15:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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#1. American Charter Academy

- Location: Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, AK
- Enrollment: 193 (16:1 student to teacher ratio)
- Niche grade: A

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