The Northwest Arctic Borough School District has approximately 180 certified teachers serving approximately 2000 children (preKindergarten through 12th grade) and encompasses a geographical area of 37,296 square miles north of the Arctic Circle in remote, western Alaska. There are no roads connecting the eleven villages within the NWABSD. The standard mode of transportation between villages is by snowmobiles in winter, boats in the summer and small single and twin engine airplanes and all-terrain vehicles year round. Subsistence hunting and fishing provide the main source of livelihood for the majority of our residents. Although English is the primary language, most parents are bilingual and most grandparents speak predominantly Inupiaq Eskimo.
Student Activities:
Boys and Girls Cross Country Running, Wrestling, Girls and Co-Ed Volleyball,
Boys and Girls Basketball, Native Youth Olympics, Student Government, Band (Kotzebue),
FCLA, Battle of the Books, Spelling Bee, Yearbook, Computer Club, and various
special interests groups by site.
Regional Activities:
Hunting (caribou, moose, black and brown bear, sheep, ptarmigan, etc.), fishing
(salmon, arctic char, grayling, sheefish, ling cod, etc.), snowmachining, cross
country skiing, hiking, camping.
Regional Highlights:
Kotzebue NANA Museum, Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Selawik
National Wildlife Refuge, Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Cape Krusenstern National Monument,
Gates of the Arctic National Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve,
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.