Nikolski’s one-room purple schoolhouse sits on the outskirts of the 30-person village, facing a vast, grassy valley. The western Aleutian village stretches along Umnak Island’s Nikolski Bay on the Bering Sea, with Okmok volcano on the horizon. Students come to school each morning by foot, bicycle or ATV — none of their houses are more than a couple of miles away.
One afternoon last September, the school’s 10 students — from kindergarten through 11th grade — sat listening on sofas as teacher Lynette Hall prepared them for the next day’s lessons. She asked them to take out their planners.
“Because you have homework today,” Hall said.
Some grumbled. A few cheered. These days, that’s a typical end-of-day scene. But for about a decade, it wasn’t.
In 2009, the Nikolski school closed its doors because enrollment had dropped below 10 students — the state's minimum for funding. Many feared that could spell the end of yet another rural Alaska community. When schools close, families often leave.
Mike Hanley is the superintendent of the Aleutian Region School District. He says ensuring there are enough students to keep a school open is always on the radar of small Alaskan districts. Hanley says he focuses on building strong schools for residents to stay or draw family members back to the area.
“The best thing that we can do as a district is to continue to provide a good, positive education and work with families,” Hanley said. “So that the education is not separate from the community, that it's seamless together.”
Schools closing across the state
Nikolski's reopening counters a statewide trend. Over the past decade, 51 schools have closed in Alaska while only 32 have opened or reopened, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
In 2015, the school in Cold Bay in the eastern Aleutians closed due to low student enrollment. In 2017, the school on St. George Island in the Pribilof closed. And in 2023, low enrollment forced the closure of the school on Adak Island, one of the region’s most remote communities.
Even in Anchorage, administrators are closing schools due to falling student numbers.
As schools close across the state, Hanley says that where families choose to live is changing, too.
“I don't believe it’s a flaw in the educational model,” Hanley said. “It’s just a change in the way we live today — you know, a change in the world.”
‘Everybody here is involved’
The Nikolski school’s revival came through combined efforts of the Aleutian Region School District and the local tribal organization. It was possible in part because the families with children were still living there. When the school closed in 2009, most chose to homeschool or send their children to schools off-island.
Hall said when the island’s student numbers met state requirements again, parents approached the district about reopening.
“The parents in the community definitely are what brought it to life,” she said.
The tribe converted its community center into the schoolhouse — the village store is now where the old school used to be. They also secured housing for Hall, the teacher, who came from West Virginia.
Hall says the students’ mothers helped her understand her new students’ educational needs, and the community rallied behind the parents’ efforts.
“Everybody here is involved in making sure these students become the best they can be,” Hall said.
Tatyana Hillhouse, who works alongside Hall as a teacher’s aide, moved to Nikolski as a child and has lived on the island intermittently since then. Having seen the village both with and without its school, she says the reopening means more than just the return of formal education.
“I really hope that it stays for quite a while, because it’s nice seeing all the kids be all together,” she said.
The students now work together daily on projects, as Hall and Hillhouse guide them through assignments like exploring Nikolski's biodiversity. And the school's future looks promising. As these students graduate, younger ones are already waiting to take their place.
This story is part of CoastAlaska’s "Evolving Education" series. You can find other stories in the series online at kcaw.org.
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