Enrollment
1,241
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Saint George, UT
Desert Hills High
Federal NCES profile for Desert Hills High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 490114001290
👥 S:T ratio 0
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Hills High earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Utah schools.
- #3 of 11
- public schools in Saint George · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27:1
- large classes for Utah
- 12.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Hills High has class sizes larger than 90% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills High ranks #3 of 11 public schools in Saint George, UT.
School address
District: Washington District · Utah
NCES ID 490114001290 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.9%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Hills High compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Hills High
Desert Hills High is a lower-poverty, large high school in Saint George, Utah, enrolling 1,241 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27:1 is larger than about 90% of Utah schools and 26% 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 12.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Utah, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,241 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 173 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #49.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 345 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Washington District also operates Utah Online K8 (2,693 students) and Utah Online 7-12 (1,547 students) alongside Desert Hills High.
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 Hills High compares
Desert Hills High on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27:1 | ▲ 26% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.9% | ▼ 54% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,241 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,241
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
12.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 54% 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
27:1
students per teacher
- 26% 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
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
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
Counselors3.6 FTE
Per 345 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 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 83.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.3%
Two or More 3.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
Asian 1.0%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 83.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.4, Desert Hills High is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington District, which includes Desert Hills High.
$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 Hills High 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 | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Crimson Cliffs High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Snow Canyon High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dixie High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Hills High'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 high 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 (~1,241 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Hills High's federal record.
- Compare Desert Hills High 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 Hills High
How many students attend Desert Hills High?
Desert Hills High has 1,241 students enrolled. It is a high school in Saint George, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills High?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills High is 27:1, which is 26% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 72% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Hills High?
12.9% of students at Desert Hills High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Hills High?
The largest demographic group at Desert Hills High is White at 83.4% of enrollment, in Saint George, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Hills High?
Desert Hills High has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Desert Hills High rank among public schools in Saint George?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills High ranks #3 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 Hills High a good school?
Desert Hills High earns 34/100 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 Hills High, 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.