Teaching in Alaska is more than a job—it’s an opportunity to become part of communities that are as unique as the landscape. From glaciers and fjords to tundra and northern lights, each region has its own rhythm, challenges, and ways of life.
Teachers here don’t just fill a position—they make a tangible difference in students’ lives, contribute to tight-knit communities, and help shape the future of the state. It’s a place to grow, to lead, and to leave a meaningful impact while experiencing some of the most remarkable environments on the planet.
have additional questions on getting started in Alaska? Visit our FAQ page or reach out to us.
Alaskan Staff Development Network
ASDN has classes for new and transferring teachers in Alaska. they offer state-required courses and continuing ed online.
Alaskan Airlines Club 49
Get a free Club 49 card and use it when flying to Alaska—Alaska Airlines offers much better baggage rates for in-state residents. You can set up your account using your school or district office address, then update it once you have your own. Club 49 also includes “Freight for Less,” a flat $49 rate to ship up to 100 pounds in two containers, which is especially helpful if you’re moving with family.
International School Services and EDUrecruit
International School Services helps connect international candidates with teaching and administration jobs in the USA. All Districts in Alaska are able to start a free account with International School Services, courtesy of AERRC. See below for more information.
Building Educational Leaders in Alaska
The Aspiring Leader Programs, sponsored by ACSA, support teachers and emerging educators as they explore and prepare for school or district leadership roles. Through mentorship, national expert sessions, and in-state advisor guidance, participants build leadership skills, clarify their career path, and gain the tools to succeed in positions from principal to superintendent.
Alaska School Leadership Academy
The Alaska School Leadership Academy (ASLA) is a two-year program supporting early-career principals with mentoring, professional development, and statewide networking. Participants gain guidance from experienced mentors and national leaders, building the skills and connections needed to succeed as instructional leaders in Alaska.
Alaska is comprised of five regions—each with its own geography, culture, and way of life. Additionally, there is wide variety between communities within each region, one community might have a road connection and grocery store, while another is a fly-in-only village where subsistence hunting and fishing are part of daily life.
If you’re coming from the Lower 48, “remote” in Alaska may mean farther out than you’ve ever pictured—but that doesn’t mean you’ll be on your own. Districts offer help with planning, logistics, and assistance.
As you explore opportunities, take time to learn about the regions and communities you’re considering, ask questions, and lean on the support your district provides. With a little preparation, you’ll be ready for an Alaskan experience that’s as rewarding as it is adventurous.
Southcentral is home to Alaska’s largest—and some say only major—city: Anchorage. With 291,131 residents (2021), it holds about 40% of the state’s population. Nearby are the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, within commuting distance, and the Kenai Peninsula, connected by road and rail to the south.
This region has Alaska’s main highways, numerous airports, the state ferry, and the Alaska Railroad. Getting around is easier here than anywhere else, though landing a teaching job can be tough. Many educators first work in rural Alaska, then later relocate to Southcentral.
Southcentral Outdoor Recreation & Natural Resources
Southcentral is known for its dramatic mix of mountains, beaches, forests, glaciers, fjords, and lakes. Year-round activities include clamming, salmon and halibut fishing, hiking, and climbing. Winter brings skiing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. The Kenai Peninsula offers world-class fly fishing and access to Kenai Fjords National Park. Coastal communities like Seward and Homer, Prince William Sound, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park—with nine of the 16 tallest U.S. peaks—are all within reach.
School Districts Located in Southcentral Alaska
Ten school districts are located in Southcentral, several highly sought-after by teachers thanks to easy access to shopping, recreation, healthcare, and infrastructure. Most districts are connected by road or the ferry system.
Southwest Alaska is a land of volcanoes, salmon and crab fishing villages, giant brown bears, black sand beaches, and tundra ponds teeming with waterbirds in summer. Transportation is mostly by plane, with seasonal ferry service along the Alaska Peninsula and islands. Many communities rely on commercial fishing, and the region hosts some of North America’s most famous lodges. Larger “regional hub” towns, while prone to travel delays, offer solid infrastructure like grocery stores and clinics.
Southwest Outdoor Recreation & Natural Resources
The Alaska Peninsula and Aleutians hold some of Alaska’s most dramatic scenery—volcanoes, Katmai National Park, and the vast Wood-Tikchik and Iliamna lake systems for fishing, hunting, and camping. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta offers more subtle beauty, with tundra wetlands and abundant wildlife. World-class fishing and kayaking draw visitors to Kodiak, Afognak, and Shuyak Islands, while the remote Aleutian and Pribilof Islands feature alpine tundra, towering waterfalls, sea stacks, puffin colonies, and cliffs dividing the Pacific and Bering Seas.
School Districts Located in Southwest Alaska
Southwest has twelve school districts plus a regional health care organization that hires educators. District offices are usually in hub communities with grocery stores and clinics. Kodiak is the largest center, with the most consistent transportation and infrastructure. Communities vary widely in size and lifestyle, even within this single region.
The Interior has Alaska’s second largest community, the small-ish city of Fairbanks (population 32,703 in 2021), and a variety of other school districts located both in the Bush, and on the various spurs of the Road System. Fairbanks also has the main campus of the University of Alaska, and a significant military base community.
Interior Outdoor Recreation & Natural Resources
The Interior offers some of the best Northern Lights viewing in the world, along with stark seasonal contrasts—long, bright summer days and short, frigid winters. A good road connects Anchorage and Fairbanks, with spur highways reaching smaller towns and even crossing into Canada, while seasonal ice roads open when conditions allow. Some of the northernmost communities sit above or near the Arctic Circle, while others are just a day’s drive from Southcentral. The Yukon and Tanana rivers remain vital for subsistence and travel. Denali, the tallest peak in North America, anchors Denali National Park, surrounded by berry-filled tundra, wildlife, and sweeping mountain vistas. Popular activities include hunting, trapping, fishing, dogsledding, skiing, and winter sports of all kinds.
School Districts Located in Interior Alaska
The region has eleven school districts plus one educational organization. Fairbanks offers an urban setting with full amenities, while other districts range from small road-system towns to fly-in only Athabascan villages where subsistence remains central. Some communities, like Nenana and Tanana, sit on or near the road system, but many others are accessible only by air.
The Far North lies entirely at or above the Arctic Circle, a land of immense wilderness, tundra wildflowers, vast caribou herds, musk oxen, and stark mountain ranges. In winter, the Northern Lights blaze above sea ice stretching across the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Most communities are fly-in only, though the Dalton “haul road” links the oil fields of the North Slope to the rest of the road system.
Far North Outdoor Recreation & Natural Resources
Subsistence traditions remain strong in Inupiaq and Siberian Yup’ik villages, where marine mammals and migratory birds are part of daily life. Wilderness here is unmatched—Gates of the Arctic, Noatak Preserve, Kobuk Valley, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, crossed by the 180,000-strong Porcupine Caribou Herd, all sit within this region.
School Districts Located in the Far North
The Far North has three massive districts—Bering Strait, Northwest Arctic, and North Slope—plus Nome, a regional hub with its own small road system and rich gold rush history. Though sometimes grouped with Western Alaska, state classifications place them in the Far North, with villages along the Bering and Chukchi coasts and islands. One Bering Strait school sits just 1.5 miles from the International Dateline, with Russian shores visible from three others. Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) is home to Ilisagvik College and the North Slope Borough School District.
Southeast is a region of islands, rainforest, and deep fjords carved by glaciers. Cruise ships travel the Inside Passage past snowcapped peaks and waterfalls, while the mild, wet maritime climate supports bald eagles, whales, porpoises, and sea lions.
Juneau, the state capital, was founded in the Gold Rush; Sitka, once the capital of Russian America, is now home to both a school district and Alaska’s state boarding high school. Petersburg celebrates its Norwegian roots, while Skagway still shows its Gold Rush spirit.
Southeast Outdoor Recreation & Natural Resources
Glacier Bay National Park boasts 16 active tidewater glaciers. Misty Fjords near Ketchikan features sheer 3,000-foot cliffs, and the Tongass National Forest—the largest in the U.S.—covers nearly 17 million acres with countless trails and recreation sites.
School Districts Located in Southeast Alaska
There are sixteen school districts, a statewide boarding school, and two other education organizations in Southeast Alaska. The largest district is Alaska’s captial city of Juneau, but there is a mix of other types of settings, including small towns, Alaska Native villages and logging camp schools.