The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in Science. The lowest is 11% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Muldoon Elementary
Muldoon Elementary sits on Cherry Street in Anchorage's 99504 zip code, part of the Anchorage School District. It serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, though its current enrollment shows no sixth-grade students on site, making it effectively a pre-K through fifth-grade school in practice. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet program. No Title I status, school type classification, or locale designation was reported in the data, so those details remain gaps here.
The school's enrollment is moderate for an Anchorage elementary, and its student body is one of the most racially diverse in a city that is itself diverse. Asian students make up the largest single group, followed by students of two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students, and Alaska Native or American Indian students. White students represent a relatively small share. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which speaks to the economic profile of the surrounding Muldoon neighborhood. Data on English learners and special education enrollment was not reported, so a parent wanting to understand those support services would need to ask the school directly.
On state assessments, Muldoon's results are low. In the most recent year, math proficiency sat well below what most Alaska schools post, and English language arts was similarly low. Science was somewhat higher than math and reading but still modest. Participation rates were strong across all three subjects, so the results reflect nearly the full tested population rather than a skewed sample. Average scale scores were not reported. No multi-year trend data was available, which means there is no clear picture from this data of whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. A parent considering Muldoon would want to ask the school what its improvement plan looks like and how it is addressing the gap between current proficiency and grade-level expectations. This is the kind of question the school should be prepared to answer, and the low numbers alone do not tell the whole story of what is happening in classrooms day to day.
Anchorage itself is Alaska's largest city and its chief commercial hub, with an economy tied to defense, oil, aviation cargo, tourism, and healthcare. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson sits northeast of downtown and shapes the population of the Muldoon area in particular, drawing military families who cycle through the neighborhood. The city is car-dependent outside a compact downtown core, with suburban-style strip corridors and wide roads defining much of the built environment. The trail system, including the Chester Creek and Campbell Creek corridors, is a defining feature of daily life and provides recreation and some commuting alternatives. Chugach State Park borders the eastern edge of the populated area, giving residents quick access to wilderness.
Housing in the 99504 zip code is among the more affordable in the Anchorage area. Typical home values sit below both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are moderate. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home costs more than renting a comparable place, which reflects current interest rates. For families looking to buy near the school, the price point is relatively accessible for Anchorage, though incomes in the neighborhood are low enough that the price-to-income ratio still presses. Home values have been rising modestly year over year, in line with the broader Anchorage market.
The Anchorage School District is the state's largest, and we searched for parent-relevant changes such as recent referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax adjustments that might affect Muldoon families, but found no specific reported changes to include here. A parent may want to check directly with the district for current budget and program updates.
Muldoon Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a working-class, highly diverse community in a city where military transience and economic shifts shape school populations. Its academic results are a clear soft spot, and the missing data on special populations and trends makes it harder to assess from the outside. Families for whom proximity, community connection, and diversity matter most may find it worth a closer conversation with school leadership about what is being done to strengthen instruction and support.
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