Posted by Erin McKinstry, KCAW | Mar 8, 2021
Seventh grader Colton Collins (left) and eighth grader Sage Martin (right) work together to build a model house from blueprints in their classroom in Port Alexander. The school has struggled to keep enrollment numbers up in recent year and has just nine students. Now, they’re turning to a new magnet school to help (Photo courtesy of Molly Kimzey)
Since 1999, more than 40 schools in Alaska have closed because of low enrollment numbers, according to data from the state’s Department of Education and Early Development or DEED. Almost all of them were in remote places where schools are central to keeping small communities connected.