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Alaska Homeschool & School Choice News

The latest Alaska news on homeschooling, alternative schools and school choice, with a short summary of each story. Updated every week.

School district recommends 'no' vote on Soldotna charter school proposal

KBBI · Thu, Oct 29, 2026

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District's superintendent, Clayton Holland, has recommended that the school board vote "no" on a proposed K-6 Soldotna Elementary Charter School, citing the lack of a facility, budget concerns, transportation uncertainty and enrollment. The district's finance director estimates the charter budget is

.1 million short of actual costs. Organizers, led by Ben Cheah, say the idea grew from Soldotna Elementary parents and teachers concerned about the planned school consolidation. The board will vote next week, and organizers cannot change the charter before then. If it is rejected, organizers would need to wait until fall 2027 to bring a new proposal forward.

Alaska voucher-style school tax credit scholarships coming soon as first nonprofits are approved

Anchorage Daily News · Mon, Oct 19, 2026

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has approved the first group of 20 Scholarship Granting Organizations, nonprofits that will distribute scholarships funded by federal tax credit contributions. Taxpayers can contribute up to

,700 individually or $3,400 per married couple starting Jan. 1, and the nonprofits can begin awarding scholarships next fall. Two Alaska-based groups, Friends of Spruce Tree Montessori and Alaska Students First, were approved in October. Coalition for Education Equity director Caroline Storm worries that donor choices could give choice schools a sizable advantage over public schools. The Anchorage School Board has asked the Association of Alaska School Boards to form a similar group for public school students, and that resolution will come before a gathering of school board members in November.

'I cried a little bit': HomeSTEAD Charter School receives state approval, prepares for 2027 opening

Alaska's News Source · Fri, Oct 16, 2026

The Alaska Board of Education and Early Development has given unanimous final approval to HomeSTEAD Charter School, which will occupy the former Two Rivers School building near Fairbanks. Organizers, who have spent nearly three years planning, say the news is a milestone, and the school is now preparing to open for its first year in July 2027 on a calendar with more frequent breaks. Families can expect a search for a Head Teacher and community outreach next. The school needs at least 75 students to operate and hopes to enroll around 100. The date of the district's enrollment lottery is still unclear, so interested parents are encouraged to follow the school's Facebook page or email homesteadapc@gmail.com for updates.

Federal homeschool case raises questions about religious bans in Alaska allotments

Alaska Watchman · Fri, Oct 2, 2026

A Christian homeschool mother in Oregon, Tessa Bulzan, is suing her school district in federal court after it denied reimbursement for Abeka and Classical Conversations materials because of their Christian worldview. Alliance Defending Freedom represents her, and the district argues that reimbursing such materials would violate the Establishment Clause. The case raises a question Alaska families already face: whether public correspondence and homeschool allotments can be spent on religious-based education. In Alaska, a separate lawsuit, Alexander v. State of Alaska, is still moving through the courts, and roughly 23,000 students are enrolled in about 30 correspondence programs statewide. A federal ruling in Oregon would not bind Alaska courts, which are interpreting the state constitution.

Enrollment freefall plagues most Kenai schools, but homeschooling grows

Alaska Watchman · Wed, Sep 30, 2026

Enrollment in the Kenai Borough School District is 230 students below projections this fall, according to a report prepared for the school board's Oct. 5 meeting. Most of the decline is at traditional schools, and 27 of 40 schools are below projection. The homeschool Connections Program is 87 students above projection, with 1,222 enrolled, and Aurora Borealis Charter is 27 over. The retooled Nikolaevsk Charter School reports 81 students in its new K-12 charter, a net increase after the district shut it down in 2025 with 21 students. Total enrollment is now 7,909, down from a 1998 high of 10,384. Teacher unions and education bureaucrats have called for more per-student funding, while many conservatives favor expanded school choice, homeschooling and charter options.

Fairbanks Assembly wants homeschool funds tied to testing mandates

Alaska Watchman · Tue, Aug 25, 2026

A proposed Fairbanks Borough Assembly resolution, amended by Assemblyman Scott Crass, would urge the State Legislature to tie state allotments for homeschool and correspondence students to taking state assessments. The amendment passed 7-1, and the final version is set for a vote at the Aug. 27 Assembly meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. The resolution has no binding effect but would ask lawmakers to take up the issue next year. Homeschool advocates are urging families to contact Assembly members, saying the plan violates parental rights. Alaska Families for Education Freedom argues it singles out homeschoolers while districts with poor academic records keep their full funding. Current law already lets any student opt out of state testing.

Alaska opens applications for K-12 scholarship groups to help expand school choice

Alaska Watchman · Thu, Aug 20, 2026

On Aug. 20, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced that Alaska is accepting applications from nonprofit groups seeking approval as K–12 Scholarship Granting Organizations under the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit. Individual taxpayers can receive a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to

,700 per year for donations to approved groups, beginning January 1, 2027. The scholarships can be used at neighborhood public, charter, home, private or religious schools, and a recent analysis estimates 95% of Alaska's K–12 students will be eligible. Nonprofits apply by emailing a signed letter of interest and their IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the state expects to approve its first group by September 30, 2026.

Anchorage classical Catholic school takes over former charter school to inspire kids with truth, beauty, goodness

Alaska Watchman · Thu, Aug 20, 2026

Holy Rosary Academy, a classics-based K-12 Catholic school in Anchorage, opened this school year in a larger campus formerly used by the public charter school Rilke Schule on East 64th Avenue. U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan spoke at an Aug. 19 ribbon-cutting, where the school said it hopes to reach more families and expand its impact. The school, founded four decades ago by homeschooling families, enrolls 170 students and says it serves students of all faiths. The new site will allow room for more enrollment, a new gymnasium and enhanced security. Reader comments on the story were mixed, with some questioning the absence of city officials and others criticizing the Catholic archdiocese.

Smaller class sizes, larger church influence in most Alaska private schools

Yahoo News · Wed, Jul 29, 2026

Thomas More Classical School, a Christian private school affiliated with Hillsdale College, opens in August in Anchorage's Abbott Loop neighborhood with about 70 students in kindergarten through sixth grade, and plans to add middle and high school grades. It is the first Alaska school affiliated with Hillsdale and follows a classical curriculum that requires Latin. Tuition starts at $6,500 for kindergarten and $7,500 for older grades. The article notes that private schools in Alaska generally keep class sizes smaller, which parents interviewed cited as their main reason for choosing them, and that private enrollment often trends toward wealthier families. For Alaska families, Thomas More adds another option in a state where most private schools are religious.

Will a Democrat governor kill Alaska's participation in the school-choice tax program?

Alaska Watchman · Sun, Jul 26, 2026

Alaska's participation in the new federal Scholarship Tax Credit program could be at risk depending on the outcome of November's governor's race. The program, slated to take effect in January 2027, requires governors to opt in. It offers a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations, up to

,700 per year for individuals. Families earning up to 300% of Alaska's median gross income could use the funds for tuition and fees at private, charter, micro, and home schools, as well as for tutors, therapies, and supplies. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed on. A June letter from the NEA and AFT urges Democratic governors to reject the program, arguing that it would divert money from traditional public schools. Of the 17 gubernatorial candidates, two are Democrats.

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