Mertarvik (Mug-TUG-vik; Central Yupik: Mertarvik [məg'təgvɪk]) is a village in the Bethel Census Area, Alaska. In 2019, the first residents from the town of Newtok, which is eroding, began to arrive[1]. By 2024, all Newtok residents had moved to Mertarvik.[2]
As of the 2020 Census, 99 people lived there.[3] In 2020, the State of Alaska had not sent voting primary forms to the village because of how new it was.[4]
In 2025, much of the infrastructure already started failing, due to lack of federal involvement and dismissal of Mertarvik's specific needs.[5]
Education
The Lower Kuskokwim School District operates the Mertarvik Pioneer School, which is a continuation of Newtok's Ayaprun School.[6] As of 2020, it uses temporary facilities in the Mertarvik Education Center (MEC) before a permanent school is to be constructed. The school has teachers using English and Yugtun as mediums of instruction.[7] The Mertarvik school's initial enrollment was 10 and it began operations on October 14, 2019.[8] It initially had four teachers, with half using each language as a medium.[7]
As of the 2023-2024 school year, the Mertarvik's school had 40+ students.[6]
As of April 2025, construction on the permanent school campus is still underway at 30% completion.[9]
References
- ^ Kim, Greg (2019-10-22). "After 20 Year Wait, Newtok Residents Leave Home To Pioneer Mertarvik". KYUK. Bethel Broadcasting, Incorporated. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ Aspen, Lauren von (2025-06-08). "Newtok to Mertarvik: The Relocation of an Alaskan Native Village". Seaside. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ^ "Mertarvik". Alaska Federal Funding. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ^ Kim, Greg (2020-09-30). "Mertarvik Residents Didn't Receive Primary Ballots Because State Didn't Know People Lived There". KYUK. Bethel Broadcasting, Incorporated. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ Schwing, Emily; KYUK (2025-05-29). "Newtok, Alaska, Was Supposed to Be a Model for Climate Relocation. Here's How It Went Wrong". ProPublica. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
- ^ a b "Home". Ayaprun School. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ a b "Newtok Planning Group Newtok Relocation News". Alaska Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ "First Residents Move to Mertarvik" (PDF). Alaska Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
- ^ John, Samuel (2025-04-09). "A new school takes shape in Mertarvik". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 2025-12-26.
 | This article about a location in the Bethel Census Area, Alaska is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
