The dread of students, teachers, and parents in the small community of Larsen Bay on the west side of Kodiak Island became reality last Tuesday when the Kodiak Island School District voted to close down the facility in LB after enrollment dropped below the acceptable limit of 10 students.

The community has been struggling to keep the school’s doors open as more and more of the population moves away to larger communities across the state. The population has been shrinking for decades.

Following close on Larsen Bay’s heels is Larsen Bay’s neighbor, Karluk. KIBSD is also discussing the closure of that school after its enrollment dropped to only seven students.

Unlike many news organizations, the Alaska Native News does not utilize a paywall that bars readers from accessing our content. And, while many news portals have unlimited resources with which to publish content, our site is run on very limited funds, with our staff working on a volunteer basis. With ad revenues failing drastically, we find ourselves needing to reach out for help funding our portal in order to continue bringing news to our readers.

  closure, larsen bay, population, school, students