Enrollment
485
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Salt Lake City, UT
Hillside Middle
Federal NCES profile for Hillside Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 490087000498
👥 S:T ratio 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hillside Middle earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median.
- #6 of 9
- middle schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 21.1:1
- students per teacher
- 25.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Hillside Middle has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hillside Middle ranks #6 of 9 middle schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Salt Lake District · Utah
NCES ID 490087000498 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.6%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hillside Middle compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hillside Middle
Hillside Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 485 students.
At 21.1:1, 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 25.6% lands close to the Utah typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 485 students, its enrollment sits close to the Utah median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 318 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #43.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 243 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.6% 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 middle schools, it stands alongside Butler Middle (913 students): Hillside Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.1:1 vs 22.3:1).
Salt Lake District also operates West High (2,503 students) and Highland High (1,973 students) alongside Hillside 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 Hillside Middle compares
Hillside 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 | 21.1:1 | ▼ 1% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.6% | ▼ 9% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 485 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.1:1
Leaner classes than 13% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
485
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
21.1:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 48% in Utah - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
34.6%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 243 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 65.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
Two or More 7.0%
African American 3.7%
Asian 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Largest group: White at 65.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.9, Hillside Middle 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 Hillside Middle.
$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 Hillside Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East High | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Glendale Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mountain View School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hillside Middle'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 middle schools in Salt Lake City
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~485 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hillside Middle's federal record.
- Compare Hillside Middle 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 Hillside Middle
How many students attend Hillside Middle?
Hillside Middle has 485 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hillside Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Hillside Middle is 21.1:1, which is 1% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 34% higher 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 Hillside Middle?
25.6% of students at Hillside Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hillside Middle?
The largest demographic group at Hillside Middle is White at 65.7% of enrollment, in Salt Lake City, UT. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hillside Middle?
Hillside Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Hillside Middle rank among middle schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Hillside Middle ranks #6 of 9 middle 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 middle schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Hillside Middle a good school?
Hillside Middle earns 38/100 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 Salt Lake District?
Besides Hillside Middle, 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.