Enrollment
670
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Saint George, UT
Desert Canyons Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Desert Canyons Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 490114001627
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Canyons Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Utah schools.
- #6 of 11
- public schools in Saint George · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 26.8:1
- large classes for Utah
- 13.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Canyons Elementary has class sizes larger than 90% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Canyons Elementary ranks #6 of 11 public schools in Saint George, UT.
School address
District: Washington District · Utah
NCES ID 490114001627 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
26.8:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.7%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Canyons Elementary compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Canyons Elementary
Desert Canyons Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Saint George, Utah, enrolling 670 students.
Class loads run heavy: 26.8:1 is larger than about 90% of Utah schools and 25% above the 21.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 13.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 670 puts it in the larger third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 360 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #110.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 670 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Washington District also operates Utah Online K8 (2,693 students) and Utah Online 7-12 (1,547 students) alongside Desert Canyons Elementary.
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 Desert Canyons Elementary compares
Desert Canyons Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 26.8:1 | ▲ 25% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.7% | ▼ 51% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 670 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
26.8:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
670
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
26.8:1
students per teacher
- 25% above state mean
Top 90% in Utah - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$8,179
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 670 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 77.5%
Hispanic or Latino 12.8%
Two or More 5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.9, Desert Canyons Elementary is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington District, which includes Desert Canyons Elementary.
$8,179
Per student
-16%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-51%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.7%
State 43.3%
Federal 14.0%
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 Desert Canyons Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Online K8 | Larger | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Utah Online 7-12 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crimson Cliffs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Snow Canyon High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dixie High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Canyons Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,693
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 70/100
- Enrollment
- 1,547
- Students per teacher
- 29.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,401
- Students per teacher
- 28:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,324
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,263
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
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 (~670 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~26.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Canyons Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Desert Canyons Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Washington 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 Desert Canyons Elementary
How many students attend Desert Canyons Elementary?
Desert Canyons Elementary has 670 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Saint George, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Canyons Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Canyons Elementary is 26.8:1, which is 25% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 71% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Canyons Elementary?
13.7% of students at Desert Canyons Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Canyons Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Canyons Elementary is White at 77.5% of enrollment, in Saint George, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Canyons Elementary?
Desert Canyons Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Desert Canyons Elementary rank among public schools in Saint George?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Canyons Elementary ranks #6 of 11 public schools in Saint George, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Saint George on the city page.
Is Desert Canyons Elementary a good school?
Desert Canyons Elementary earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Washington District?
Besides Desert Canyons Elementary, Washington District also operates Utah Online K8 (2,693 students), Utah Online 7-12 (1,547 students), and Crimson Cliffs High (1,401 students). See the Washington 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.