School Consolidation

By consolidating resources, the district can improved educational opportunities by:

• Providing smaller class sizes and more effective classroom support
• Enhancing special education programs and services
• Improving access to nursing and other student support services
• Reducing the impact of staff shortages and unfilled positions
• Reducing the amount of combination grade level classrooms

Over the past 20 years, the district has faced a steady decline in student enrollment while the number of school buildings has increased. This mismatch has led to underutilized schools, which are costly to maintain. Consolidation allows the district to:

• Reduce facility maintenance and utility costs
• Address declining enrollment trends effectively
• Redirect resources from maintaining unused space to enriching student learning environments

By reducing operational and maintenance expenses, the district can address growing annual deficits without compromising the quality of education. These savings will help preserve class sizes, invest in classroom resources, and support critical student services for years to come.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough population has seen a population decline, due to both a fall in birth rates and an outward migration of residents. Over the past 20 years, student enrollment in the school district has fallen 15%  (2,140 students from FY04 to FY24) while the number of school buildings has increased. View district enrollment trends on the district's data dashboard.

Complete estimates for the state, boroughs/census areas, cities and census-designated places are available at the State of Alaska Population Estimates webpage.