Meadow LakesAK
Public schools that outperform most of Alaska. 8,689 people call this town in Alaska home.
Is Meadow Lakes a good place to live?
A town of contrasts. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $82K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with avalanches at the top. Schools are its strong suit (A−) — its schools outperform 77% of the state's. Homes run about $323K for a typical one, 3.2 times the Anchorage metro’s $101K median household income. Overall, that makes a C−, good for 35th of 41 in Alaska. Nationally, it does better than 24% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Little Susitna Recreation River, at 630 acres.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
What makes Meadow Lakes stand out
Where Meadow Lakes beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Meadow Lakes Elementary | PK–5 | 308 |
| Midnight Sun Family Learning Center | K–8 | 189 |
| American Charter Academy | K–12 | 193 |
Meadow Lakes has grown 22% from 2010 to 2020
7,570 counted in 2010 and 9,197 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Meadow Lakes grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Meadow Lakes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Meadow Lakes: who provides what
Meadow Lakes is unincorporated, so Matanuska-Susitna Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Meadow Lakes.
Meadow Lakes has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Alaska.
Open space protected for good: nearly a third of Meadow Lakes
Its 19,928 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 75% of Alaska towns.
4.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Meadow Lakes’ concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both Alaska’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadow Lakes Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 2. Little Susitna Recreation River | — | 630 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Meadow Lakes earns an A− for schools
The public schools here belong to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Its three schools are below. Public school enrollment in Meadow Lakes: 690 students across 3 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Lakes ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 308 | C+ |
| American Charter AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 193 | A+ |
| Midnight Sun Family Learning CenterTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 189 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
Top of a very high hazard risk in Meadow Lakes: avalanches
Paid flood insurance claims in Meadow Lakes since 2006: 5. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 50% come from avalanches and 43% from earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Meadow Lakes
The Anderson Lake weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 128 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 66.8°, cooler than in 100% of U.S. towns; January nights average 10.9°.
The peak summer temperature in Meadow Lakes is 67°F. About 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Meadow Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 67°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 11°F | 7°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health in Meadow Lakes trails 53% of U.S. towns
For adults in Meadow Lakes, the share who report frequent mental distress is 17%. In Meadow Lakes, 70% of adults had a checkup this year, above the Alaska town median (68%) but below the median of U.S. towns (79%). Two figures for adults in the town: 19% smoke cigarettes, 39% have obesity. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Meadow Lakes.
| Meadow Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Meadow Lakes | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.3% | 13.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 6.1% |
| More smokers | 19% | 16% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in Meadow Lakes sells for about $439K
On the market in Meadow Lakes: a median 26 days to sell. 78% of Meadow Lakes households own their home. Meadow Lakes’ median rent comes in at $1,377 a month.
| Meadow Lakes | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,377 a month | $1,412 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Meadow Lakes
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Meadow Lakes; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Meadow Lakes residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
Meadow Lakes’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Meadow Lakes.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Lakes | #35 | C− | C+ | — | A− | B− |
| Knik-Fairview | #31 | C | C | — | A− | B− |
| Willow | — | — | B | — | A− | C+ |
| Tanaina | #21 | C+ | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Wasilla | #40 | C− | C+ | D | A− | C+ |
| Houston | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C− |
| Big Lake | #29 | C | B− | — | A− | C+ |
Willow and Houston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Meadow Lakes, Knik-Fairview, Willow, Tanaina, Houston and Big Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Meadow Lakes with a neighbor →
Questions about Meadow Lakes
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Meadow Lakes, AK a good place to live?
Meadow Lakes grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #35 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B− for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Meadow Lakes, AK expensive?
The typical home is worth about $323,000, 19% below the Alaska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.