Enrollment
395
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Salt Lake City, UT
Emerson School
Federal NCES profile for Emerson School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 490087000488
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emerson School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Utah schools.
- #9 of 19
- elementary schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.2:1
- small classes for Utah
- 21.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Emerson School has class sizes smaller than 93% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson School ranks #9 of 19 elementary schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Salt Lake District · Utah
NCES ID 490087000488 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-38% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.2%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emerson School compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emerson School
Emerson School is a mid-sized elementary school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 395 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 13.2:1, Emerson School is leaner than roughly 93% of Utah schools and 38% under the state's 21.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 21.2% lands close to the Utah typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 395 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 239 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #44.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.4% 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 elementary schools, it stands alongside Canyon View School (471 students): Emerson School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.2:1 vs 22.4:1).
Salt Lake District also operates West High (2,503 students) and Highland High (1,973 students) alongside Emerson 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 Emerson School compares
Emerson 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 38% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.2% | ▼ 24% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
395
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% 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
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 38% below state mean
Top 7% in Utah - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.4%
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 395 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
White 73.2%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Two or More 6.6%
Asian 1.3%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: White at 73.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.4, Emerson 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 Emerson 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 Emerson School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East High | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glendale Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emerson 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 elementary schools in Salt Lake City
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 (~395 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emerson School's federal record.
- Compare Emerson 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 Emerson School
How many students attend Emerson School?
Emerson School has 395 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emerson School?
The student-teacher ratio at Emerson School is 13.2:1, which is 38% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 16% lower 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 Emerson School?
21.2% of students at Emerson School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emerson School?
The largest demographic group at Emerson School is White at 73.2% of enrollment, in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emerson School?
Emerson School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 Emerson School rank among elementary schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Emerson School ranks #9 of 19 elementary 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 elementary schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Emerson School a good school?
Emerson School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% 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 Emerson 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.