Enrollment
500
Utah · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Salt Lake City, UT
Whittier School
Federal NCES profile for Whittier School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 490087000525
👥 S:T ratio 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Whittier School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Utah schools.
- #53 of 57
- schools in Salt Lake City · Resource Index
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- students per teacher
- 51.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Whittier School has class sizes near the Utah median. Computed live against every Utah school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier School ranks #53 of 57 schools in Salt Lake City, UT.
School address
District: Salt Lake District · Utah
NCES ID 490087000525 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 21.4:1 Utah avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.3%
vs 28.0% Utah avg
+83% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier School compares with Utah and U.S. medians
What stands out at Whittier School
Whittier School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Salt Lake City, Utah, enrolling 500 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 20:1 puts it in the smaller third of Utah schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 51.3% of students qualify for free meals, 83% above the Utah average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 500 students, its enrollment sits close to the Utah median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,065 scored Utah schools.
Against 128 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #63.
Its student body is led by White (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.8% 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 public schools, it stands alongside Brighton High (2,435 students): Whittier School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (20:1 vs 27.1:1).
Salt Lake District also operates West High (2,503 students) and Highland High (1,973 students) alongside Whittier School.
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 Whittier School compares
Whittier School on the metrics families compare, against Utah and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Utah | Utah avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▼ 7% | 21.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.3% | ▲ 83% | 28.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
500
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 83% above the Utah average of 28.0%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 38% in Utah - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.8%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 500 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 38.6%
Hispanic or Latino 33.8%
African American 10.0%
Asian 9.6%
Two or More 5.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 38.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.4, Whittier School 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 Whittier School.
$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 Whittier School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Highland High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East High | Larger | Similar 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 Whittier School'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 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 (~500 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Whittier School's federal record.
- Compare Whittier School 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 Whittier School
How many students attend Whittier School?
Whittier School has 500 students enrolled. It is a public school in Salt Lake City, UT.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier School is 20:1, which is 7% lower than the Utah average of 21.4:1 and 27% 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 Whittier School?
51.3% of students at Whittier School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Utah average of 28.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier School?
The largest demographic group at Whittier School is White at 38.6% 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 71.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier School?
Whittier School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Whittier School rank among schools in Salt Lake City?
By Resource Investment Index, Whittier School ranks #53 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 Whittier School a good school?
Whittier School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Utah median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Salt Lake District?
Besides Whittier School, 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.