ANCHORAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT - ALTERNATIVE K 12 SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, MCLAUGHLIN SECONDARY 7 12

In 2008-09, the district's graduation rate was 70.48 percent. It has increased nearly 11 percentage points since the 2004-05 school year. The dropout rate for ASD students is 3.43 percent, a figure that has been cut nearly in half since the 2004-05 school year. In 2009-10, ASD had 48 teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. National board certification is voluntary and involves a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes one to three years for a successful candidate to achieve. The certification complements, but does not replace, a state's teacher certificate. It is valid for 10 years and establishes the teacher as "highly qualified" and a "master" teacher in the eyes of the district and state.