Enrollment
1,052
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 490015101386 Charter school
Utah Connections Academy — Salt Lake City, UT
Federal NCES profile for Utah Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 94
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 →
The verdict
Utah Connections Academy earns a D Resource Investment Index (41/100), with class sizes larger than 91% of Utah schools.
- D
- Resource Index · 41/100
- 26.8:1
- large classes for Utah
- 22.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,052
- students enrolled
School address
District: Utah Connections Academy · 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
26.8:1
vs 23.1:1 Utah avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.5%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Utah Connections Academy 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
Utah Connections Academy reports 1,052 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 26.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the Utah state mean of 23.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 69% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 22.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Utah average and 57% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1052 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Utah Connections Academy spends $8,634 per pupil district-wide, below the Utah average of $12,354 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.0% from local sources (property taxes), 91.7% from the state, and 8.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Utah Connections Academy 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 | 26.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 23.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 20% | 28.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,052 | top 87% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
27 smaller classes than 2% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
1,052 larger than 92% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
22.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% 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
26.8:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 91% in Utah — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$8,634
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1052 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
Enrollment 1,052 Top 87% in Utah — larger than 13% of 1,068 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 26.8:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 22.5% -20% vs state
NCES ID 490015101386
Student demographics
White 69.7%
Hispanic or Latino 22.5%
African American 2.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.9%
Asian 1.6%
Two or More 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: White at 69.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 1052:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Utah Connections Academy, which includes Utah Connections Academy.
$8,634
Per student
-30%
vs Utah
Avg $12,354
-56%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.0%
State 91.7%
Federal 8.3%
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.
Similar other schools in Salt Lake City
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
West High
Standard public school
2,503 students 22.2:1 students per teacher
Skyline High
Standard public school
2,186 students 26.9:1 students per teacher
Olympus Jr High
Standard public school
807 students 27:1 students per teacher
Olene Walker Elementary
Standard public school
712 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
Woodrow Wilson School
Standard public school
656 students 28.8:1 students per teacher
Mountain View School
Standard public school
629 students 22.9:1 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 Utah Connections Academy
How many students attend Utah Connections Academy?
Utah Connections Academy has 1,052 students enrolled. It is a other school in SALT LAKE CITY, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Utah Connections Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Utah Connections Academy is 26.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Utah average of 23.1:1 and 69% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Utah Connections Academy?
22.5% of students at Utah Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Utah Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at Utah Connections Academy is White at 69.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in SALT LAKE CITY, UT.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Utah Connections Academy?
Utah Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.