L131W2 Steffes
Chugiak, AK 99567

Birchwood ABC is hands down one of the best schools that my children have attended! We are very sad to have to leave, but I am for certain that my children will excel at any other school in the US thanks to the excellent instruction from the teachers at Birchwood ABC! We wish we could take the school with us to the Lower 48! Every school should strive to be just like Birchwood ABC! Thank you for a wonderful 3 years!

Small town vibe that's connected to the very large Anchorage School District. Your child will likely have a good experience in English, Science, and History courses. If you child can teach themselves Math then they will do well. If your kiddo struggles (even just a little bit) they will have a hard time with the Math curriculum. Delta math for homework is frustrating and time consuming for very little pay off and there's no option to write out homework on paper and turn it in for credit (no worksheets, no text book homework assignments). I guess having Math students do their work online is easier for the teachers to grade but it's not so great for students that are trying to learn. The most engaging/amazing/fun Spanish teacher is Senor Bloom. Chugiak High School is part of the Spanish emersion program. Their German teacher is retiring this year (2024). It's unclear (other than Spanish) what foreign languages will be offered going forward. Culinary/Prostart should be taken by students that are interesting in learning (cooking/baking/plating/presentation) and not taken by students that are just there for an easy A, the teacher knows her stuff and expects students to be engaged. Once your student completes culinary they are eligible for Prostart with a chance to participate in competitions and after school events. Most all of Chugiak sports teams are highly competitive (although our football team and both basketball teams struggle intermittently). Most (but not all) sports teams have tryouts and cuts. The swing (varsity) choir travels for competition in the spring, they highly accomplished. The choral director is exceptional however, their is a perception that she plays favorites. There is a concert choir (no cuts) and the traveling choir (auditions and cuts). The band is also amazing and travels in the spring for competition. Drama - They typically have a straight play in the fall and a musical in late winter. The sets are spectacular and the performances are unbelievable (although rumor has it that the director is not very nice, again this could just be a perception). They have many other clubs including a competition riflery club (air rifle) and JROTC (drill competitions). Chugiak High School is the only school in the Eagle River/Chugiak area with an indoor pool. There's a high school swim team and a year round swim club. Soccer teams are good but I hope your kid has club experience or they will never make the cut.

Very recently, the school has had a variety of issues involving student well-being and the morals of the higher-ups at this school. Two noticeable incidents include when a young girl hit a young man, who in turn hit her at equal value. The man ended up getting punished far more harshly than the young lady who started the scuffle. Another instance would be when a young lady kicked a male student and the lady wasn't even punished while the male student was strictly disciplined. This school has done well in teaching students but has evidently failed in correctly punishing students. It is painfully clear that in the process of making female students feel welcomed and safe, they have made the male students feel targeted and unhappy. A positive thing however would be one of the staff members, Mr. Harrington. He is absolutely outstanding and truly sets the bar for teaching in general. That man is worthy of a memorial and should be treated as such. Anyone who has been lucky enough to meet him would agree, and those who haven't meet him should be pitied. Overall good school but the bias with students obviously needs work.