The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 45% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Finger Lake Elementary
Finger Lake Elementary sits on Eek Street in Wasilla, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from a community that blends suburban commuter life with Alaska's more isolated rural character.
The school's academic results from the most recent state testing cycle show a solid foundation. Math proficiency landed just above the halfway mark, and science results were similarly strong, with every tested student participating. English language arts proficiency came in a bit below math and science, sitting under half. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly how literacy instruction is structured across the early grades. Participation rates were high across the board, which suggests the school is reaching nearly all its students for state assessments. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. Average scale scores were not reported.
The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school in this district. A meaningful share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which gives a sense of the economic mix the school serves. The enrollment is predominantly white, with a sizable portion of students identifying as two or more races, and smaller Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native populations. Asian and Black students each represent a very small fraction. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, which leaves a gap in understanding the full range of student support needs at the school.
Wasilla itself is a car-dependent, highway-oriented community stretched along the George Parks Highway. Publicly reported sources describe it as a commuter suburb of Anchorage, with a substantial share of residents driving the highway corridor to work in the city each day. The town functions as a regional commercial hub for the Mat-Su valley, with significant retail activity, healthcare, and food services, plus an industrial zone and airport with land zoned for further development. There is no traditional walkable downtown grid. Schools sit on separate campuses rather than being integrated into a commercial core, and civic facilities like the borough pool are co-located with school sites. The community has been growing steadily, with the city positioning itself for continued residential and industrial expansion. For a family considering Finger Lake, this means access to outdoor amenities like nearby lakes and the Iditarod headquarters, but also a setting where nearly every errand and commute requires a vehicle.
Housing in the school's zip code runs above both the state and national benchmarks for typical home values, reflecting the broader growth pressure on the Mat-Su region. Rents are moderate relative to the estimated local income, and the gap between a monthly mortgage payment and rent is wide enough that many families may find renting the more accessible option in this market. Home values have been appreciating, which affects what families moving into the area will encounter.
Several pieces of information that would help round out a parent's picture were absent. No Title I status, locale classification, discipline data, course access details, staffing ratios, or attendance figures were available. No program offerings were listed, so it is unclear what enrichment, special education, or extracurricular options the school provides beyond the standard elementary curriculum. The district brief returned no specific parent-relevant changes, such as recent referenda, curriculum overhauls, or property-tax shifts, so there is little to report on the district-level direction that might affect this school in the near term.
What the available evidence does show is an elementary school with above-average state assessment results in math and science, slightly softer ELA outcomes, a diverse but majority-white student body with moderate economic need, and a location in a fast-growing commuter town where housing costs are climbing above state norms. Families drawn to the Mat-Su valley's mix of suburban convenience and Alaska outdoor access will find Finger Lake positioned in the commercial heart of that community, with academic results that hold their own among the state's elementary schools.
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