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Salt Lake City, Utah - 39 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Salt Lake District #28 of 147 districts in Utah (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,784 per pupil, Salt Lake District ranks #17 of 155 Utah districts by per-pupil spending (Utah districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
19,896
Total Enrollment
39
Schools
$12,784
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Salt Lake District operates 39 public schools serving 19,896 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Utah. The school portfolio breaks down into 22 combined, 9 elementary, 5 middle, 3 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Salt Lake County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,784 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 155 Utah districts by per-pupil spending. See how Utah compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 59.3% local, 26.5% state, and 14.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 64/100, ranked #28 of 147 in Utah against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 39 schools offering Advanced Placement (57 AP courses district-wide), a 340.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 35.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 41.7% Hispanic or Latino, 38.7% White, 5.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Whittier School, with a diversity index of 71.4/100.
Its largest campus is West High, enrolling 2,503 students (12% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Salt Lake Virtual Elementary, at 58 students, a 43x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Salt Lake District school enrollment varies 43× across entities
Salt Lake District school enrollment ranges from 58 students (lowest) to 2,503 students (highest), a spread of 2,445 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.
Salt Lake District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 52.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I 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.
Salt Lake District student-counselor ratio is 341:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Salt Lake District is typically wider than the Salt Lake District-aggregate figure suggests.
Salt Lake District chronic absenteeism rate is 35.3% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Salt Lake District has 39 schools, including 22 combined, 3 high, 5 middle, 9 elementary. Total enrollment is 19,896 students.
How much does Salt Lake District spend per student?
Salt Lake District spends $12,784 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #28 in Utah.
What is the demographic composition of Salt Lake District?
Salt Lake District students are 41.7% Hispanic or Latino, 38.7% White, 5.3% African American, 4.2% Asian, averaged across 39 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Salt Lake District?
Salt Lake District has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #28 out of 147 districts in Utah.