92 public K-12 schools in Salt Lake City from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
92 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Salt Lake City's 92 public schools is West High, scoring 41/100, against a city average of 37.7/100. Computed live across every Salt Lake City campus reporting to NCES.
How the Salt Lake City Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Salt Lake City, UT enrolls 48,289 students across 92 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those, 12 are charter schools, giving families genuine alternatives to the traditional neighbourhood assignment model. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 20.8:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 37.7/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Salt Lake City on this index is West High, at 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 2,503 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Salt Lake City spans 7 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Salt Lake City school enrollment varies 5.6× across entities
Salt Lake City school enrollment ranges from 447 students (lowest) to 2,503 students (highest), a spread of 2,056 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Salt Lake City operates 7 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country
Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.
Salt Lake City student-teacher ratio is 20.8:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Salt Lake City has higher-than-average charter school authorisation eligibility — 13.0% of the population qualifies for charter-school enrollment options
charter-school enrollment options eligibility is the federal threshold for charter school authorisation funding allocations, established under the state-specific charter law. Areas above 30% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic charter school authorisation formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Salt Lake City
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
What are the best schools in Salt Lake City, UT? ▼
The highest-ranked school in Salt Lake City is West High with a quality score of 41/100. There are 92 public schools in Salt Lake City with 48,289 total students.
How many schools are in Salt Lake City, UT? ▼
Salt Lake City has 92 public schools with a total enrollment of 48,289 students. 12 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 20.8:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
