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Research Matters

ISER Research Matters is our effort to quickly let Alaskans know about research findings from the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), at the University of Alaska Anchorage. We post these periodically on our Web site and also distribute them by e-mail. If you'd like to be removed from or added to our e-mail list, send us a message.

Research Matters No. 46. New Students in Anchorage School District: Where Are They From?
December 9, 2009

In 2008, enrollment in the Anchorage School District was considerably higher than the district had expected, and some Alaskans—including the mayor of Anchorage and the superintendent of schools—thought the spike in enrollment might be due to more families moving to Anchorage from rural Alaska communities. ISER has a long standing interest in migration patterns in Alaska, and researchers decided to track where the new students from other Alaska districts were coming from—and why.

With help from the Anchorage School District, ISER surveyed hundreds of parents or guardians of students who had recently transferred from other Alaska school districts to Anchorage. A new study by Marie Lowe, an assistant professor of anthropology with ISER, reports the results. Those include:

• By far the largest number of new students came from the Mat-Su Borough, but new students came from almost all of Alaska's 53 school districts. The largest numbers from off-road communities came from the Bethel and Nome census areas.
  
  

• More than 40% of the new students moved independently—that is, they moved but their parents didn't. There were various reasons why students moved alone, but the most common ones included being sent in to Anchorage to live with other relatives and changes in custody arrangements.
  
  
• When entire families of the new students moved, the reason they cited most often was for better employment opportunities. A significant share of families from off-road places also said they had moved for better education opportunities.
  
  
• When asked what they needed in Anchorage, new families most often cited affordable housing. Other needs included jobs, affordable food, and health care.
  
  

We did not have access to data on new Anchorage students in earlier years—so we weren't able to determine how the number and characteristics of new Anchorage students in 2008 compared with patterns in earlier years. But this ISER survey—which we believe to be the first of its kind—now provides a benchmark for any future look at students and families moving to Anchorage from other parts of the state.

Research Matters Recent Titles

• Alaska Timeline, 1867 - 2009
• The Changing Economic Status of Alaska Natives, 1970-2007
• How Hard is it for Medicare Patients to Find Family Doctors?
• Alaska's Construction Spending: 2009 Forecast
• The Cost of Crime: Could the State Reduce
  Future Crime and Save Money by Expanding Education and Treatment Programs?
• Enclosing the Fisheries: People, Places, and Power
• What Drives the Alaska Economy?
• Kids Count Alaska 2006-2007
• Teacher Turnover in Alaska: Is It Changing?
• How Would $1,200 Per Person State Payments Compare with Increased Household Costs for Energy?
• How Vulnerable is Alaska's Economy to Reduced Federal Spending?
• Dollars of Difference: What Affects Fuel Prices Around Alaska?

Archived Research Matters