Enrollment
1,648
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Payson, UT
Payson High
Federal NCES profile for Payson High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490063000390
👥 S:T ratio 3
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 4
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Payson High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Utah schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Utah.
- #1 of 7
- schools in Payson · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.2:1
- large classes for Utah
- 19.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Payson High has class sizes larger than 76% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Payson High ranks #1 of 7 schools in Payson, UT.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
68.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.2:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.3%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Payson High compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Payson High
Payson High is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Payson, Utah, enrolling 1,648 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 24.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Utah schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 19.3% lands close to the Utah typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Utah, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,648 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 122 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #71.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 330 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Nebo District also operates Nebo Online School (7,791 students) and Maple Mountain High (1,902 students) alongside Payson 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 Payson High compares
Payson 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 | 24.2:1 | ▲ 13% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.3% | ▼ 31% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,648 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.2:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,648
Bigger than 97% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
24.2:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 76% in Utah - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
38.2%
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
$8,448
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 330 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 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 77.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.1%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.9, Payson High is less mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Nebo District, which includes Payson High.
$8,448
Per student
-14%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.8%
State 55.9%
Federal 10.3%
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 Payson High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebo Online School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Maple Mountain High | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Springville High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Spanish Fork High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Salem Hills High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Payson High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 7,791
- Students per teacher
- -
- Enrollment
- 1,902
- Students per teacher
- 29.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,665
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,640
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,593
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~1,648 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~24.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Payson High's federal record.
- Compare Payson High against another school. Compare schools
- Nebo 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 Payson High
How many students attend Payson High?
Payson High has 1,648 students enrolled. It is a public school in Payson, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Payson High?
The student-teacher ratio at Payson High is 24.2:1, which is 13% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 54% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Payson High?
19.3% of students at Payson High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Payson High?
The largest demographic group at Payson High is White at 77.7% of enrollment, in Payson, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Payson High?
Payson High has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Payson High rank among schools in Payson?
By Resource Investment Index, Payson High ranks #1 of 7 schools in Payson, UT. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Payson on the city page.
Is Payson High a good school?
Payson High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Utah schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Utah. 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 Nebo District?
Besides Payson High, Nebo District also operates Nebo Online School (7,791 students), Maple Mountain High (1,902 students), and Springville High (1,665 students). See the Nebo 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.