Enrollment
1,052
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Connections Academy
Federal NCES profile for Utah Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490015101386Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 94
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Utah Connections Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Utah schools.
- #21 of 57
- schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 27.7:1
- large classes for Utah
- 22.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Utah Connections Academy has class sizes larger than 92% of Utah schools. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Utah Connections Academy ranks #21 of 57 schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Utah Connections Academy · Utah
NCES ID 490015101386 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
27.7:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
+29% 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
What stands out at Utah Connections Academy
Utah Connections Academy is a large charter combined-grade school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 1,052 students.
Class loads run heavy: 27.7:1 is larger than about 92% of Utah schools and 29% above the 21.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 22.5% lands close to the Utah typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 1,052 puts it in the larger third of Utah schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Among 248 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Utah schools statewide, it ranks #21, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1052 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Salt Lake City's public schools, it stands alongside Brighton High (2,435 students): Utah Connections Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (27.7:1 vs 27.1:1).
Utah Connections Academy is a single-school charter district, so Utah Connections Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Utah Connections Academy compares
Utah Connections Academy on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 27.7:1 | ▲ 29% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.5% | ▼ 20% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,052 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
27.7:1
Leaner classes than 3% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,052
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
27.7:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 92% in Utah - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
2.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$8,634
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 46.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.2, Utah Connections Academy is more mixed than the Utah school average of 40.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Utah Connections Academy, which includes Utah Connections Academy.
$8,634
Per student
-12%
vs Utah
Avg $9,792
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~1,052 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~27.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Utah Connections Academy's federal record.
- Compare Utah Connections Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Utah Connections Academy'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 Utah Connections Academy
How many students attend Utah Connections Academy?
Utah Connections Academy has 1,052 students enrolled. It is a public 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 27.7:1, which is 29% higher than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 76% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 (typical 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 Utah Connections Academy rank among schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Utah Connections Academy ranks #21 of 57 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 schools in Salt Lake City on the city page.
Is Utah Connections Academy a good school?
Utah Connections Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% 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 Utah Connections Academy?
None; Utah Connections Academy is a single-school charter district, and Utah Connections Academy is its only campus.
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.