Enrollment
545
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cedar City, UT
Cedar South School
Federal NCES profile for Cedar South School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 19/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 490039000282
👥 S:T ratio 13
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cedar South School earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median.
- #1 of 6
- elementary schools in Cedar City · Resource Index
- 19
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.8:1
- students per teacher
- 21.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cedar South School has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar South School ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Cedar City, UT.
School address
District: Iron District · Utah
NCES ID 490039000282 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.6%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cedar South School compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cedar South School
Cedar South School is a mid-sized elementary school in Cedar City, Utah, enrolling 545 students.
At 21.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Utah median, within a few percentage points of the 21.4:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 21.6% lands close to the Utah typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 545 students, its enrollment sits close to the Utah median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 385 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #228.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1363 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Iron District also operates Southwest Educational Academy (4,239 students) and Cedar City High (1,372 students) alongside Cedar South 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 Cedar South School compares
Cedar South 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 2% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.6% | ▼ 23% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 545 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.8:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
545
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the Utah average of 28.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21.8:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 55% in Utah - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
26.2%
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
$8,010
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors0.4 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 82.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.1%
Asian 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.3%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.3, Cedar South School is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Iron District, which includes Cedar South School.
$8,010
Per student
-18%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-52%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 58.4%
Federal 13.5%
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 Cedar South School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Educational Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Cedar City High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cedar Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Canyon View High | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Canyon View Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cedar South School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 4,239
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,372
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 1,139
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,021
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 948
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
Similar elementary 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 (~545 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cedar South School's federal record.
- Compare Cedar South School against another school. Compare schools
- Iron 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 Cedar South School
How many students attend Cedar South School?
Cedar South School has 545 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cedar City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cedar South School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cedar South School is 21.8:1, which is 2% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 39% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cedar South School?
21.6% of students at Cedar South School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cedar South School?
The largest demographic group at Cedar South School is White at 82.4% of enrollment, in Cedar City, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cedar South School?
Cedar South School has a Resource Investment Index of 19/100 (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 Cedar South School rank among elementary schools in Cedar City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cedar South School ranks #1 of 6 elementary schools in Cedar City, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cedar City on the city page.
Is Cedar South School a good school?
Cedar South School earns 19/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. 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 Iron District?
Besides Cedar South School, Iron District also operates Southwest Educational Academy (4,239 students), Cedar City High (1,372 students), and Cedar Middle (1,139 students). See the Iron 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.