Alaska
What Alaska reported to the federal government about the children in its custody and the children it investigated. Where a year says not reported, that is the record.
The funnel, FFY 2024
Alaska vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Alaska in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Alaska | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 21,142 | 120.8per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 6,06328.7% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 15,07971.3% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 8,977 | 51.3per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 2,266 | 13per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 13 | 7.43per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Alaska does not report
For the measures on this page, Alaska reported a figure in every year covered. That is not the same as the figures being complete or comparable — see the methodology for what the federal record does not measure at all.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Alaska, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Alaska, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 328 | 367 | 357 | 312 | 366 | 353 | 396 | 354 | 339 | 288 |
| Entered foster care | 1,018 | 1,162 | 1,513 | 1,340 | 1,321 | 1,337 | 1,496 | 1,353 | 1,324 | 1,151 |
| Exited foster care | 860 | 919 | 1,006 | 1,044 | 1,346 | 1,251 | 1,337 | 1,338 | 1,291 | 1,253 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 1,982 | 2,190 | 2,653 | 2,824 | 2,739 | 2,781 | 2,879 | 2,860 | 2,828 | 2,690 |
| Children served in foster care | 2,842 | 3,109 | 3,659 | 3,868 | 4,085 | 4,032 | 4,216 | 4,198 | 4,119 | 3,943 |
| Termination of parental rights | 399 | 366 | 356 | 425 | 432 | 430 | 375 | 288 | 318 | 328 |
| Waiting for adoption | 866 | 704 | 783 | 949 | 1,032 | 1,006 | 951 | 1,019 | 972 | 1,014 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 1,026 | 991 | 1,080 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 2,522 | 2,374 | 2,460 |
| Exited foster care | 1,229 | 1,100 | 961 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Alaska in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 6, 2026
Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random — it is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, roughly five children e...
- Foster Child Self-Harm & Suicide June 2025
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 27, 2026
Childhood trauma, suicide and self-harm among American youth are at historic highs, with alarming increases among fosters, preteens, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and children of color. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for ages 10–24...
- Best and Worst Hospitals For U.S. Children (Beckers Hospital Review)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenApril 8, 2026
Which states give kids the best chance at a healthy life? This review ranks all 50 states and D.C. on children’s healthcare, nutrition, and oral health—and the gaps are stark.
- LGBTQ Children, Even More Miserable Foster Care, and Suicide
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 13, 2026
LGBTQ youth are far more likely to land in foster care — and far more likely to face homelessness, abuse, and suicide attempts once they do. This piece shares hard
- The Importance of Foster Youth Rights (find your State here)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 22, 2025
This article is derived from Hana Ikramuddin's excellent Imprint News Article about Fosters not being notified of their rights - Read the Imprint article here. Hana tells us the story of AIayna Ghost’s years in Foster Care from ages 7 to 18...
- What Teachers Are Facing Today and Tomorrow
KARA reportingMike TikkanenAugust 11, 2024
Teachers feel undervalued and overwhelmed. Turnover his high and a number of states are using unqualified people to fill positions.
- America's CHILDHOOD TRAUMA and ACES Impact
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 14, 2024
California’s Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris has declared Adverse Childhood Experiences a public health problem and public school crisis in her state.
- LGBTQ Foster Care & Ground Truths
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 26, 2022
about a third of kids in NY’s foster care identify as LGBTQ and nationally, about 24% do. 40% of homeless kids in NY City identify as LGBTQ and 42% of them had been in foster care. This NY Times article focuses on how hard life is for them....