Pacific High School

Welcome to Pacific High School, where the academic philosophy is truly alternative and learning is authentic, experiential, and place-based, with an emphasis on community and a culture of quality.

Our philosophy supports teaching practices that provide for different learning styles, requiring different types of learning spaces. Classes are multi-grade, students have a wide range of skills and abilities, and learning is tailored to meet students’ individual needs. Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning. We emphasize quality work and craftsmanship, and value depth in favor of breadth in content. Literacy is taught throughout the curriculum, and critical thinking and effective communication are emphasized. Students make culminating presentations to peers, family, and community members in lieu of final exams.

Pacific High School (PHS) has a unique school lunch program, in which fresh, nutritious, homemade lunches are prepared and served by students. High school students are powerful connectors between schools, families, and communities. By providing healthy, homemade food to students, they learn to enjoy it, and bring that enjoyment back to their families. By teaching students to grow nutritious food and to prepare it from scratch in a commercial setting, students gain valuable skills for employment and home economics. Culturally, Southeast Alaska high school students are adults, and these skills give them something to give back to their communities. The effects are generational, as students share their food, their nutrition knowledge, and their skills with their families of origin, communities, and future families. Good nutrition is a key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty— it is indisputably linked to long-term physical and emotional health, as well as education and employment success.