Enrollment
396
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salt Lake City, UT
Backman School
Federal NCES profile for Backman School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490087000474
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Backman School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Utah schools.
- #38 of 57
- schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.5:1
- small classes for Utah
- 80.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Backman School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Backman School ranks #38 of 57 schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Salt Lake District · Utah
NCES ID 490087000474 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-23% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.8%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
+189% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Backman School compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Backman School
Backman School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 396 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 16.5:1, Backman School is leaner than roughly 85% of Utah schools and 23% under the state's 21.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 80.8% of students qualify for free meals, 189% above the Utah average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 396 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 16 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #8.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (61%) and White (14%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 396 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Salt Lake District spends $12,784 per pupil, 31% above the Utah average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Salt Lake City's public schools, it stands alongside Brighton High (2,435 students): Backman School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.5:1 vs 27.1:1).
Salt Lake District also operates West High (2,503 students) and Highland High (1,973 students) alongside Backman School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Backman School compares
Backman School on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▼ 23% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.8% | ▲ 189% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 396 | top 69% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 189% above the Utah average of 28.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 23% below state mean
Top 15% in Utah - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,784
per pupil, district-wide
- above Utah avg of $9,792
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 396 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 60.6%
White 14.4%
African American 11.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.3%
Two or More 3.8%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.3, Backman School is more mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Salt Lake District, which includes Backman School.
$12,784
Per student
+31%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 59.3%
State 26.5%
Federal 14.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Backman School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glendale Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Backman School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,503
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,973
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,764
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 678
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 629
- Students per teacher
- 26.2:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar other schools in Salt Lake City
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Utah, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~396 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Backman School's federal record.
- Compare Backman School against another school. Compare schools
- Salt Lake District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Backman School
How many students attend Backman School?
Backman School has 396 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Backman School?
The student-teacher ratio at Backman School is 16.5:1, which is 23% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Backman School?
80.8% of students at Backman School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Backman School?
The largest demographic group at Backman School is Hispanic or Latino at 60.6% of enrollment, in Salt Lake City, UT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Backman School?
Backman School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Backman School rank among schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Backman School ranks #38 of 57 schools in Salt Lake City, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Backman School a good school?
Backman School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 85% of Utah schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Salt Lake District?
Besides Backman School, Salt Lake District also operates West High (2,503 students), Highland High (1,973 students), and East High (1,764 students). See the Salt Lake District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.