Demographics

• Principal Tenure:
  • 6th year at NNS
  • 10th year as Administrator
  • 15 years of KPBSD service
  • 20 years in education
• 21 Certified staff
  • 1 Doctorate degree
  • 10 Masters degrees
  • 10 Bachelors degrees
• 10 Classified staff
  • 4 Associates or higher
  • 5 Paraeducator Online Training & Assessments
  • 1 HS Diploma
• 19:1 P/T ratio
• 10 average Staff years of service
• Enrollment: 210 students
• Attendance Rate: 88.9%

Intervention Support

• NNS receives federal funds through Title I
• For the 2026-2027 school year, NNS will operate a schoolwide program model (K through 5th grade) based on our school’s needs
• Current focus areas include:
  • Small group math and reading support
  • emphasis on conflict resolution and self-regulation strategies
  • increasing attendance
  • communication with families and other stakeholders

Academics Assessments

mCLASS-DIBELS Assessment

• 78% mCLASS Kinder at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 66% mCLASS 1st grade at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 64% mCLASS 2nd grade at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 67% mCLASS 3rd grade at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 56% mCLASS 4th grade at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 48% mCLASS 5th grade at benchmark or above on End-of-Year
• 📖 K–5 Literacy Growth (mCLASS)
• Schoolwide literacy growth remained a major area of celebration this year.
• Students scoring Above Benchmark increased from 18% to 36%
• Students in the Well Below Benchmark category decreased from 33% to 21%
• Kindergarten students Above Benchmark increased from 7% to 44% by spring

2026 MAP Growth & Achievement

🔢 Math

• Grade 3
  • Spring Achievement: 68th percentile
  • 61% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: Grade 3 students demonstrated the highest overall math achievement in the school
• Grade 4
  • Spring Achievement: 62nd percentile
  • 55% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: More than half of students performed above national average benchmarks in math
• Grade 5
  • Spring Achievement: 48th percentile
  • 30% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: Students showed continued growth and progress toward grade-level expectations

📚 Reading

• Grade 3
  • Spring Achievement: 61st percentile
  • 50% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: More than half of students finished the year Above Benchmark in mCLASS reading
• Grade 4
  • Spring Achievement: 60th percentile
  • 50% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: Students demonstrated continued growth in both reading achievement and benchmark performance
• Grade 5
  • Spring Achievement: 40th percentile
  • 30% of students scored in the 61st percentile or higher nationally
  • Growth Highlight: Students demonstrated increased performance in the Above Benchmark category throughout the year

Elementary Specific Programming

Afterschool Programs
Nikiski North Star offers a variety of afterschool opportunities to keep students engaged and active beyond the school day. These include:

• Intramural Sports – Offered in multiple seasons throughout the school year, intramurals promote participation, teamwork, and physical activity in a fun, supportive environment.
• Boys and Girls Club – Kenai Clubhouse – Provides afterschool care and enrichment activities. This program is operated by the Boys and Girls Club-Students ride Bus 117 to the Kenai Clubhouse
• Girl Scouts – Encourages leadership, friendship, and service. This organization also rents space in our building to host meetings and events.
• Good News Club – Offers students the opportunity to learn and grow through Bible lessons, songs, games, and valuable life lessons. This club is independently operated by CEF and rents facility space at NNS.

These programs reflect our school community’s commitment to supporting the whole child—academically, socially, and physically—while partnering with outside organizations that share our vision.

iReady (Math)

The i-Ready Diagnostic data showed substantial growth from fall to spring, with many students moving closer to or above grade-level expectations. A total of 197 out of 210 students participated in the spring assessment window.

Students performing on or above grade level increased from 13% in the fall to 54% in the spring, growing from 25 students to 106 students. Students performing Mid or Above Grade Level increased from 5% to 28%, while students performing Early On Grade Level increased from 8% to 26%.

At the same time, the number of students requiring additional intervention decreased significantly. Students performing One Grade Level Below decreased from 60% to 37%, students performing Two Grade Levels Below decreased from 21% to 7%, and students performing Three or More Grade Levels Below decreased from 7% to 3%.

These results reflect strong academic growth across the school, with more students meeting grade-level expectations and fewer students requiring intensive intervention support. The data demonstrates the positive impact of targeted instruction, intervention supports, and the hard work of our students and staff throughout the school year.

CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts)

During the 2025–2026 school year, Nikiski North Star Elementary continued the implementation of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum. Now adopted districtwide as the Tier I language arts program, CKLA is designed to build strong foundational literacy skills through a structured, knowledge-rich approach. It emphasizes reading, writing, speaking, and listening while introducing students to a broad range of content in history, science, literature, and the arts. This continued implementation supports the development of critical thinking and comprehension skills, providing a consistent and high-quality language arts experience across all grade levels.