Enrollment
760
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 490042000816
Joel P. Jensen Middle — West Jordan, UT
Federal NCES profile for Joel P. Jensen Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Jordan District · Utah
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 23.1:1 Utah avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.6%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joel P. Jensen Middle compares with Utah and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Joel P. Jensen Middle reports 760 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the Utah state mean of 23.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Utah average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 253 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Jordan District spends $9,748 per pupil district-wide, below the Utah average of $12,354 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.2% from local sources (property taxes), 52.3% from the state, and 11.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Joel P. Jensen Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Utah state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.1:1 | ▼ 9% | 23.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.6% | ▲ 9% | 28.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 760 | top 76% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
30.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above 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
— 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Utah — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
43.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,748
per pupil, district-wide
— below Utah avg of $12,354
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 253 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 57 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 760 Top 76% in Utah — larger than 24% of 1,068 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 21.1:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.6% +9% vs state
NCES ID 490042000816
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.4%
White 43.3%
Two or More 4.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 4.2%
Asian 2.0%
African American 1.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 253:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.8%
In-school suspensions 32
Out-of-school suspensions 57
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jordan District, which includes Joel P. Jensen Middle.
$9,748
Per student
-21%
vs Utah
Avg $12,354
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.2%
State 52.3%
Federal 11.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,837
- Students per teacher
- 25.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,738
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,522
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,461
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,295
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
Similar other schools in West Jordan
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Sunset Ridge Middle
Standard public school
1,377 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
West Hills Middle
Standard public school
1,169 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
West Jordan Middle
Standard public school
1,000 students 22.5:1 students per teacher
Mountain Heights Academy
Standard public school
864 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Ascent Academies of Utah West Jordan
Standard public school
761 students 22:1 students per teacher
Hawthorn Academy West Jordan
Standard public school
743 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Joel P. Jensen Middle
How many students attend Joel P. Jensen Middle?
Joel P. Jensen Middle has 760 students enrolled. It is a other school in WEST JORDAN, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joel P. Jensen Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Joel P. Jensen Middle is 21.1:1, which is 9% lower than the Utah average of 23.1:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joel P. Jensen Middle?
30.6% of students at Joel P. Jensen Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joel P. Jensen Middle?
The largest demographic group at Joel P. Jensen Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 43.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in WEST JORDAN, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joel P. Jensen Middle?
Joel P. Jensen Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.