The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Math. The lowest is 91% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mat-su Career & Tech Ed High School
Mat-Su Career & Tech Ed High School sits in Wasilla, a fast-growing commuter community northeast of Anchorage along the George Parks Highway. The school serves grades nine through twelve and is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment places it among the larger high schools in its district. The name signals a focus on career and technical education, though the available data does not include specific program offerings, course catalogs, or dual-credit pathways, so a parent would need to contact the school directly to understand what specialized coursework is available.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller Hispanic, multiracial, and American Indian or Alaska Native populations. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, below what many Alaska schools report. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here. The grade-level distribution is relatively even across ninth and tenth grades, with somewhat smaller eleventh and twelfth grade cohorts.
Academic performance data is thin and difficult to interpret. The only state assessment results available come from a single school year and reflect a very small number of tested students, far below the school's total enrollment. The tested group appears to have been assessed under a grades three through eight framework, which does not align with the school's nine through twelve grade band. This mismatch likely reflects a small subset of students testing outside the typical high school assessment pathway. Proficiency rates among that small group were high across math, English language arts, and science, but the tiny tested population means these results cannot be taken as representative of the school as a whole. No multi-year trend data was available. A parent looking for a clear picture of academic outcomes would want to ask the school for more current and complete assessment results, and for any career-readiness or industry-credential data that might better reflect what this school measures itself against.
No graduation rate, college enrollment, or postsecondary outcomes data was provided. Civil rights data, including discipline and access indicators, was also absent. Course access, staffing, and attendance figures were not available. These gaps mean the academic and school climate picture is incomplete from the data alone.
Wasilla itself shapes the experience of attending this school. The city functions as a vehicle-served commuter and commercial hub, with development strung along the Parks Highway corridor and no traditional walkable downtown. Roughly a third of working residents commute to Anchorage, and the city has positioned itself for continued growth with industrial land near the airport and highway. The economic base blends retail, healthcare, food service, logistics, and support for workers employed on Alaska's North Slope oilfields. Wasilla has grown rapidly in recent years, and that trajectory continues. The housing market reflects that growth. Home values in the school's zip code sit above both the state and national benchmarks, with year-over-year appreciation running well ahead of the national rate. Rents are more moderate, and the price-to-income ratio suggests the area remains relatively affordable for buyers compared with many parts of the country, though rising values could change that picture. A family considering this school should weigh the car-dependent setting and the commuter orientation of the community alongside the school's career-focused identity.
In sum, the data describes a sizable career and technical high school in a growing, highway-oriented Alaska suburb, with a student body that is relatively economically stable and predominantly white. What the school actually offers in its classrooms and shops, how its students perform on current assessments, and whether they graduate ready for work or further study are questions the available data does not answer. A parent would need to go directly to the school for those details.
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