Skagway School District has just one school, a one-story building that serves the families of the small Southeast Alaska community about 20 miles from the Canadian border. All of the district’s students, from preschool through twelfth grade, come to school in the same one-story building. For the 13th year in a row, those students had the state’s highest scores in all assessed areas, according to administrators.
Mary Thole teaches fifth grade. She’s been at Skagway School for 25 years. She starts testing days in a specific way.
“I like to make my students muffins – several of us do,” Thole said. “So they come in with a muffin on their desk in the morning. Just so they feel loved and that this is a week to celebrate their learning. And then we’ll go over their results once we get them.”
The desks are sectioned off with privacy folders to help students concentrate. Thole places a piece of gum at each spot to mitigate the wiggles.
There are two kinds of standardized testing at Skagway School. In the spring, grades three through nine take the AK STAR assessment, which is required by the state. And twice a year, in fall and winter, kindergartners through ninth graders take the MAP Growth testing, which is not state-mandated. It shows where a child is in their academic journey and measures progress throughout the year.
Thole said the MAP test is a powerful tool for identifying strengths and gaps.
“This really helps us personalize and individualize their education and treat them like individuals,” she said. “The test isn’t being done to them, it’s with them, and helps them sit in the driver’s seat for their learning.”
Testing happens for about an hour and a half per day during testing week. In the afternoons, the kids might play kick ball, hike or visit the local fry bread shop. The school gives students raffle tickets for things like a used laptop or a brand new bike. Some kids say it’s their favorite time of year.
In 2023, about 32% of Alaska students tested proficient or above in English Language Arts and math on the AK STAR. In Skagway, it was nearly 63% in English and 55% in math.
Thole credits the community for why Skagway students perform better than their peers.
“Our students feel supported in all aspects,” she said. “The Skagway Elks – they do fundraisers every Friday, all winter long. Their burger feeds are for the students and the student groups. And when our students have activities, our stands are full of all sorts of people that aren’t just parents.”
Jessica Ward is Skagway School’s math teacher. She’s been teaching for 17 years, seven of them in Skagway. There’s just one math teacher, so she teaches middle and high school. She’s also the district testing coordinator.
While the AK STAR assessment can tell Skagway how it’s doing compared to other districts, it can’t give a nationwide comparison. But Ward said MAP testing is administered nationally and can give a glimpse of how Skagway students compare to peers in other states.
“Generally speaking, our students are scoring at least a couple of grade levels higher, especially on the high school side or the middle and high school side, than the national average for those same tests,” Ward said.
That’s good news in a state that the U.S. News & World Report ranked as 46 out of 50 states for quality of education in 2024.
Wards knows how important testing is, but as a math teacher, she wishes she didn’t lose quite so many days to testing. She pointed out that Alaska schedules school for 170 days per year, while most states attend 180 days.
“So if we do testing three times a year, that’s nine more hours on average. That’s nine more instructional periods,” Ward said. “So now I’m 19 hours less instructional time, and still with the same expectation. And that’s an expectation I put on myself because my goal is to get them ready for college.”
Josh Coughran has been superintendent and principal of Skagway School since 2013. He is incredibly proud of the school’s test scores, but said it’s not necessarily the school’s “Super Bowl.”
“They’re important certainly, and I think they’re a great reflection,” Coughran said. “And I think that the school district has a responsibility to the community to keep these test results going. But it’s not necessarily the end-all and the be-all for us. It’s just a good indication of what we do and where we can go.”
Coughran gives credit to Skagway’s teachers, who created curriculums based on state standards.
He said the school also has low teacher turnover, with many teachers having served the school for a decade. The class sizes are also small – the school averages around nine students per classroom. The district provides free preschool. And every budget cycle, the local borough assembly votes to provide the maximum allowable contribution to the district.
“It’s been a fun experience to have all of those levers to pull and all of those tools at my disposal,” Coughran said. “Because I know for a fact that those things don’t exist in other places.”
STAR testing will take place in Skagway April 21 to 25.
