Chugiak High School

We had two daughters and a son graduate from Chugiak. Some of the teachers were good, and some were absolutely terrible. The entire school system is in disaray. Too much emphasis is given to the wrong things. The schools need to return to the basics of education and teach our kids math, english and science. School leadership needs to be accountable for their actions. Any experience we had at parent conferences were a one sided viewpoint from the teachers standpoint. If teachers acted they way they do at parent conferences in the public arena, they would fail miserably. That is not to say that all teachers are bad. We have known several good, caring teachers at Chugiak.
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school, the students and staff are patient, and accepting.
--Submitted by a student

Chugiak High School is fine for those students who have no problems doing their work without teacher assistance. If your child is not progressing well, that's just too bad. The school acts concerned but does nothing. The teachers handout assignments but rarely actually grade them. Only when they do will you find out your childs true status. By then it will be too late. Having discussions with the teachers is difficult and often unproductive. Counselors are not any better. The school system here seems to have plenty of money for useless art displays on the school grounds but not enough to pay attention to how the students are doing. I am pulling my son out of this school.
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent and past student, I would confirm that Chugiak provided a place to nurture growth, development and educational pursuits. Not only were the teachers excellent, with involvement in many different activities directly related to student interests, learning and culture, but array of classes to choose from, availability of human resources, opportunity to succeed were limitless. Kids attended college prep, remedial, ESL, classes, and corp. openly allowed access to other educational venues e UAA, Stellar, Career Center, etc.
--Submitted by a former student

I think that this school is a wonderful example of a community of caring teachers who truly care about the future of the children. I would also consider this to be one of the safest schools in the Achorage area. Harassment is mpossible to avoid altogether, but this is one place that ensures that students will feel safe.Gang activiy (if any) is low, and there are several student teacher coalitions that team up to ensure communication between the two. This creates a harmonious relationship that is too often non-existant.
--Submitted by a former student

Severely overcrowded, but hopefully the new high school that is being built will help out. Classroom sizes are about 28 to 1. Teachers are disorganized and kids wander in and out of school whenever they want. Low test scores reflect this. No general math courses for students who can't grasp Algebra or college prep math, so they are basically left behind. Enforcement of dress code is nonexistent, especially for females! There is an extreme amount of club/activities for all students though, so they can't say there's nothing to do in Alaska. Kids are allowed to leave school for lunch which needs to stop. They are not responsible enough to be back on time and some get involved in 'other things' during this time, when they should be in school.
--Submitted by a parent