Petersburg is located among the forested islands and mountains of Alaska's beautiful Inside Passage on the northern tip of Mitkof Island in the heart of the Tongass National Forest. It’s a small, vibrant town with about 3,100 permanent residents approximately 700 miles north of Seattle..  Petersburg’s day-to-day atmosphere is that of a busy fishing.

Tlingit hunters and fishermen used the area surrounding Petersburg at least 2,000 years ago, and at low tide you can walk among the remains of their ancient fish traps and petroglyphs near town. Alaska Natives still comprise over 10% of the population. A federally recognized tribe is located in the community.

In 1890, Norwegian pioneer Peter Buschmann arrived, and seeing that the clear, clean ice from LeConte Glacier could be used to pack fish, built the Icy Strait Packing Company cannery, a sawmill, and a dock . His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg, populated largely by people of Scandinavian origin. By 1920, 600 people lived in Petersburg year-round. During this time, fresh salmon and halibut were packed in glacier ice for shipment.  Petersburg has developed into one of Alaska's major fishing communities.

The district currently serves 589 students from kindergarten to grade 12 with 47 certified staff and 49 support staff. Three schools comprise the district:

Rae C. Stedman Elementary School, grades K-5,
Mitkof Middle School, grades 6-8
Petersburg High School, grades 9-12.


Mission Statement
As part of the larger community, Petersburg schools will provide a safe and orderly environment for teaching and learning that promotes continuous improvement and will advocate for the highest educational opportunities for all students.

 Strategies and Actions (Objectives)

Strategy #1:  To develop and implement a standards-based curriculum including outcomes aligned to the state grade level expectations (GLEs).

Objective 1.1:  Implement curriculum update timelines as established by the Board.

Objective 1.2:  Incorporate 21^st Century Skills in each subject area as appropriate.

Objective 1.3:  Integrate technology (1 to 1 laptop) in each subject area as appropriate.

Objective 1.4: Create formative assessments as needed to supplement summative assessments (state required standard-based assessments—SBAs), especially at transition level, e.g., grades 5 & 8.

Strategy #2:  To identify and incorporate 21^st century skills into the curriculum and daily learning.

Objective 2.1: The District will develop strategies that enable the identification and incorporation of 21^st Century Skills into daily lessons and the standards based curriculum.

Objective 2.2:  Identify and/or develop assessment tools that measure mastery of 21^st Century Skills.

Objective 2.3:  Provide staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to support and teach 21^st Century Skills.

Strategy #3: To work in partnership with parents and community members to reduce student risk-taking behaviors.

Objective 3.1:  Identify and utilize assessments and surveys to help target high risk behaviors.

Objective 3.2: Coordinate a comprehensive socio-emotional learning program/curriculum.

Objective 3.3: Review implementation and coordination of student support services.

District Website Link