Enrollment
909
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Saint George, UT
Desert Hills Middle
Federal NCES profile for Desert Hills Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490114001226
👥 S:T ratio 4
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Hills Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Utah schools.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Saint George · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.9:1
- large classes for Utah
- 13.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Hills Middle has class sizes larger than 74% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills Middle ranks #3 of 5 schools in Saint George, UT.
School address
District: Washington District · Utah
NCES ID 490114001226 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.3%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-53% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Hills Middle compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Hills Middle
Desert Hills Middle is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Saint George, Utah, enrolling 909 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Utah schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 13.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 909 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 299 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #122.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 30/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 455 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Washington District also operates Utah Online K8 (2,693 students) and Utah Online 7-12 (1,547 students) alongside Desert Hills Middle.
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 Middle compares
Desert Hills Middle on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.9:1 | ▲ 12% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.3% | ▼ 53% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 909 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.9:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
909
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% 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
23.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 74% in Utah - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 455 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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 83.1%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.5%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 83.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.9, Desert Hills Middle is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington District, which includes Desert Hills Middle.
$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 Middle 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 | Higher S:T ratio |
| Snow Canyon High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dixie High | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Hills Middle'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 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 (~909 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Hills Middle's federal record.
- Compare Desert Hills Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Desert Hills Middle?
Desert Hills Middle has 909 students enrolled. It is a public school in Saint George, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Hills Middle is 23.9:1, which is 12% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Hills Middle?
13.3% of students at Desert Hills Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Hills Middle?
The largest demographic group at Desert Hills Middle is White at 83.1% of enrollment, in Saint George, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Hills Middle?
Desert Hills Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Hills Middle rank among schools in Saint George?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Hills Middle ranks #3 of 5 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 schools in Saint George on the city page.
Is Desert Hills Middle a good school?
Desert Hills Middle earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Middle, 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.