Public education in Utah

K-12 education in Utah

Education facts

State superintendent: Sydnee Dickson

Number of students: 606,998

Number of teachers: 26,168

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:23

Number of school districts: 42

Number of schools: 945

Graduation rate: 87%

Per-pupil spending: $8,366

See also

Utah Department of Education • List of school districts in Utah • Utah • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Utah Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Utah public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Utah had 606,998 students enrolled in a total of 945 schools in 42 school districts. There were 26,168 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 23 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Utah spent on average $8,366 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 87 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Utah compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Utah
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Utah	945	42	606,998	26,168	1:23	$8,366
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada), students in Utah earned the second-highest scores in all categories, falling behind students in Colorado.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Utah	44%	36%	37%	39%
Arizona	40%	31%	28%	28%
Colorado	50%	42%	41%	40%
Nevada	34%	28%	27%	30%
U.S. averages	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Utah and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Utah schools reported a graduation rate of 83 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states.

In Utah, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 20.7.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Utah	83%	Third	20.7	100%	1684	6%
Arizona	75.1%	Fifth	19.6	50%	1551	35%
Colorado	76.9%	Fourth	20.4	100%	1721	14%
Nevada	70.7%	Fifth	21.3	32%	1454	48%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Utah was lower than the national average at 1.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 1.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Utah

As of July 2015, school choice options in Utah included charter schools, a school voucher program, inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 2.91 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Utah is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Utah state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Utah spent approximately 23.6 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. Utah's per pupil spending was the lowest in the country during fiscal year 2013.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Utah	23.6%	$6,555	9.5%	52%	38.5%
Arizona	18.6%	$7,208	14.6%	36.2%	49.2%
Colorado	26%	$8,647	7.9%	42.1%	50%
Nevada	22.3%	$8,339	9.5%	61.9%	28.6%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Utah, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding during fiscal year 2013, at $2.2 billion. Utah reported the second lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Utah	$409,774	$2,235,917	$1,656,221	$4,301,912
Arizona	$1,178,356	$2,934,165	$3,985,395	$8,097,916
Colorado	$696,266	$3,693,829	$4,392,164	$8,782,259
Nevada	$392,009	$2,556,472	$1,181,811	$4,130,292
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Utah totaled approximately $4.8 billion in fiscal year 2012. Utah reported the second lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Utah	$3,779,760	$746,262	$264,051	$4,790,073
Arizona	$7,974,545	$922,249	$282,469	$9,179,262
Colorado	$7,341,585	$706,235	$500,592	$8,548,413
Nevada	$3,574,233	$327,173	$262,933	$4,164,339
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Utah, the average salary increased by 3.4 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Utah	$47,757	$48,980	$48,961	$49,393	3.4%
Arizona	$50,430	$50,119	$49,501	$49,885	-1.1%
Colorado	$52,153	$52,520	$49,865	$49,844	-4.4%
Nevada	$53,830	$54,999	$55,467	$55,957	4%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Utah State Office of Education

The Utah State Office of Education is led by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is appointed by the Utah State Board of Education and serves at the board's pleasure. Brad C. Smith was appointed to the position in 2014.

The mission statement of the Utah State Board of Education reads as follows:

“

Utah’s Public Education System keeps its constitutional promise by: Ensuring literacy and numeracy for all Utah children. Providing high quality instruction for all Utah children. Establishing curriculum with high standards and relevance for all Utah children. Requiring effective assessment to inform high quality instruction and accountability.

”

The State Board of Education is responsible for the "general control and supervision of the public education system." The board is composed of 15 elected, voting members and six appointed, non-voting members.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Utah ranked 39th overall for union power and influence, or "weak," which was in the fourth of five tiers.

In 2006, some union members decided to depart from the Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, to develop the Utah Council of Educators. The council, however, is not a union and does not participate in collective bargaining. Both organizations are in favor of reducing class sizes and raising teacher salaries. The two organizations do, however, differ in their attitudes towards school vouchers. The Utah Education Association spent more than $3 million in the fight against vouchers in 2007. The Utah Council of Educators, on the other hand, said that they would rather let the public decide.

Government sector lobbying

See also: Utah government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Utah School Boards Association.

Transparency

In 2008, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 38. The bill required state government agencies to make certain financial information available online. Utah Public Finance went live on May 15, 2009.

In 2009, the legislature passed Senate Bill 18, which mandated that local government agencies (including school districts and charter schools) be held to the transparency standards established by Senate Bill 38 (2008).

Both SB 38 and SB 18 were spearheaded by Sen. Wayne Niederhauser.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Utah received a score of 79.1, or a C+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 89.3, or a B+ average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 64.5, or a D average. Utah had the highest score in the "transitions an alignment" category when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of Utah and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Utah	79.1 (C+)	69.1 (D+)	81.7 (B-)	64.5 (D)	65.2 (D)	89.3 (B+)
Arizona	70.2 (C-)	66.6 (D+)	87.6 (B+)	62.4 (D-)	66.8 (D+)	78.6 (C+)
Colorado	82.9 (B)	74.2 (C)	81.8 (B-)	66.4 (D)	68.6 (D+)	82.1 (B-)
Nevada	65.7 (D)	66.7 (D+)	75.4 (C)	71.0 (C-)	64.5 (D)	75.0 (C)
U.S. averages	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

School districts in Utah are categorized by geographic boundaries. A municipal school district serves students in a particular city. A county school district operates schools within an entire county.

School board composition

Utah school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. Utah school board elections are typically conducted by precinct or district, with voters selecting candidates within their board member district.

School boards consists of five or seven members, depending on the number of students in the district. Board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

Utah does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.

Elections

See also: Utah school board elections, 2024

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024 in this state. This list may not include all school districts that held elections in 2024. Ballotpedia's coverage included all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2024 Utah School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2022-2023 enrollment
Alpine School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	3	7	87,136
Canyons School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	3	7	33,386
Davis School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	4	7	73,459
Granite School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	3	7	61,197
Jordan School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	4	7	59,421
Nebo School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	4	7	37,044
Washington County School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	3	7	37,572
Weber School District	6/25/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	3	7	32,888

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Utah, a person must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• A resident of the school district for at least one year prior to the election
• A registered voter in the school district

Board members are also not allowed to be employees of the school district during their board terms.

Candidates submit declarations of candidacy and other supporting documents to the county elections office.

Campaign finance

State law requires candidates to submit financial disclosure requirements to county elections officials before and after each election.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Utah state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Utah ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Utah Initiative C (1988)
2. Utah School Vouchers, Referendum 1 (2007)
3. Utah Religious and Sectarian Instruction, Proposition 3 (1994)
4. Utah State School Fund Modifications, Proposition 2 (1994)
5. Utah State to Guarantee School District Debt, Proposition 4 (1996)
6. Utah State School Fund Revenues, Proposition 5 (1996)
7. Utah Definition of Public School System, Proposition 6 (1996)
8. Utah Trust Lands, Proposition 3 (1998)
9. Utah School Fund Investment, Amendment 1 (2002)
10. Utah Investing in Stocks and Bonds, Amendment E (2008)
11. Utah Abolishment of Carbon College, Referendum A (1954)
12. Utah Public Ownership of Stock, Amendment 2 (2004)
13. Utah Proposition No. 4: State School Fund Amendments (1984)
14. Utah Proposition No. 3: Education Article (1986)
15. Utah Nonbinding Opinion Question 1, 10 Cents per Gallon Gas Tax Increase for Education and Local Roads (2018)
16. Utah Amendment B, State School Fund Distribution Cap Increase Amendment (2024)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Utah education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Utah - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Utah
• Utah state budget and finances
• Utah Department of Education
• List of school districts in Utah
• School choice in Utah
• Charter schools in Utah
• Utah
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Utah State Office of Education
  • Charter schools
  • Assessment
• Utah State Board of Education

Additional reading

• Associated Press, "Utah schools receiving more money than expected," July 11, 2009
• KSL-TV, "New checks on school employees in place, but slow to take effect," July 15, 2009
• The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah welcomes Canyons School District," July 2, 2009