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Cedar City, Utah - 18 schools
An equity score of 33/100 ranks Iron District #128 of 147 districts in Utah (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $8,010 per pupil, Iron District ranks #116 of 155 Utah districts by per-pupil spending (Utah districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,739
Total Enrollment
18
Schools
$8,010
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Iron District operates 18 public schools serving 12,739 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Utah. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 elementary, 5 combined, 3 high, 2 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Iron County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $8,010 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 155 Utah districts by per-pupil spending. See how Utah compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.1% local, 58.4% state, and 13.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 33/100, ranked #128 of 147 in Utah against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 965.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 25.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 79.3% White, 14.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Escalante Valley School, with a diversity index of 52.7/100.
Its largest campus is Southwest Educational Academy, enrolling 4,239 students (30% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Three Peaks Pre School, at 103 students, a 41x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Southwest Educational Academy accounts for 30.0% of all Iron District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Iron District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Iron District school enrollment varies 41× across entities
Iron District school enrollment ranges from 103 students (lowest) to 4,239 students (highest), a spread of 4,136 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Iron District student-counselor ratio is 965:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
Iron District chronic absenteeism rate is 25.3% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Iron District is typically wider than the Iron District-aggregate figure suggests.
Iron District has 18 schools, including 5 combined, 3 high, 2 middle, 8 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,739 students.
How much does Iron District spend per student?
Iron District spends $8,010 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #128 in Utah.
What is the demographic composition of Iron District?
Iron District students are 79.3% White, 14.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% African American, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Iron District?
Iron District has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #128 out of 147 districts in Utah.