What share of students in Utah are proficient in math?

In 2024, 35% of eighth graders in Utah public schools were at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (4th highest among the 50 states and DC) and 31% in reading, compared with 37% and 38% in 2019 (national public 2024: 27% and 29%).

Education in Utah, United States: official figures

88.2% of public high school students in Utah graduated within four years of starting ninth grade in the 2021-22 school year (the adjusted cohort graduation rate); joint 13th highest among the 49 states (including DC) with data (U.S.: 86.6%).

High school graduation rate (4-year ACGR)

88.2%

2021-22

NAEP fourth-grade reading score

219

2024

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics score

282

2024

Current spending per pupil, public schools

$11,347

FY2024

Public school enrollment

689,883

Fall 2023

Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

39.1%

2024

Is the graduation rate in Utah rising?

The four-year graduation rate in Utah was 88.2% in 2021-22, compared with 80% in 2011-12 and 87.4% in 2018-19, before the pandemic; nationally the rate went from 80% in 2011-12 to 86.6% in 2021-22.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate for disadvantaged students in Utah?

In 2021-22 the four-year graduation rate in Utah was 77.5% for economically disadvantaged students, 73.5% for students with disabilities and 76.3% for English learners (U.S.: 81.3%, 71.4%, 72.1% respectively).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the graduation rate by race in Utah?

By race and ethnicity, the 2021-22 graduation rate in Utah was 79.0% for Black, 81.0% for Hispanic and 90.6% for White students (U.S.: 81.0%, 82.8%, 89.8%).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Utah score in grade 4 reading?

Public school students in Utah averaged 219 in fourth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 7th highest among the 50 states and DC, down from 225 in 2019 (national public: 214, 219 in 2019). 36% scored at or above Proficient and 36% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Utah score in grade 8 reading?

Public school students in Utah averaged 261 in eighth-grade reading on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 8th highest among the 50 states and DC, down from 267 in 2019 (national public: 257, 262 in 2019). 31% scored at or above Proficient and 28% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Utah score in grade 4 math?

Public school students in Utah averaged 242 in fourth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 4th highest among the 50 states and DC, down from 244 in 2019 (national public: 237, 240 in 2019). 45% scored at or above Proficient and 21% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How do students in Utah score in grade 8 math?

Public school students in Utah averaged 282 in eighth-grade mathematics on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), joint 3rd highest among the 50 states and DC, down from 285 in 2019 (national public: 272, 281 in 2019). 35% scored at or above Proficient and 30% below Basic.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

How much does Utah spend per student?

Public school systems in Utah spent $11,347 per pupil on current operations in fiscal year 2024, 2nd lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: $17,619), according to the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Is school spending per pupil in Utah going up?

Current spending per pupil in Utah rose from $8,014 in fiscal 2019 to $11,347 in fiscal 2024, up 41.6% before inflation (U.S.: up 33.6%); the change on fiscal 2023 was up 9.8%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What does Utah spend school money on?

Of the $11,347 spent per pupil in Utah in fiscal 2024, $7,108 went on instruction and $3,739 on support services; salaries and wages came to $6,646 per pupil and employee benefits $2,810.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Where does school funding in Utah come from?

Public school systems in Utah received $8.7 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024: 7.9% from the federal government, 50.6% from the state and 41.5% from local sources such as property taxes (U.S.: 11.6%, 45.2% and 43.2%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How much does Utah spend on public schools in total?

Total spending by public school systems in Utah was $8.6 billion in fiscal 2024, of which $7.0 billion was current spending and $1.4 billion capital outlay on buildings and equipment; the systems owed $4.5 billion in debt at the end of the year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many students are in public schools in Utah?

689,883 pupils were enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in Utah in fall 2023, up 0.8% on fall 2019 (684,694) and up 10.3% on fall 2013; nationally enrollment was down 2.5% since 2019.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What is the student-teacher ratio in Utah?

Public schools in Utah had 31,164 full-time-equivalent teachers in fall 2022, about 22.2 pupils per teacher, 2nd most among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 15.4; Utah in fall 2019: 22.6).

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

What percentage of people in Utah have a college degree?

39.1% of adults aged 25 and over in Utah, about 842,000 people, held a bachelor's degree or higher in 2024; 14th highest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 36.8%). That is up 2.3 percentage points on 2021 (36.8%), according to the American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Utah have a graduate degree?

In 2024, 13.7% of adults 25 and over in Utah had a graduate or professional degree and 9.9% an associate degree as their highest qualification (U.S.: 14.7% and 8.8%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many adults in Utah did not finish high school?

93.6% of adults 25 and over in Utah had at least a high school diploma or equivalent in 2024, leaving 6.4% without one; that share is 11th lowest among the 50 states and DC (U.S.: 10.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How Utah compares with other states

Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR) (2021-22)

Utah ranks 14 of 49, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate; New Mexico and Oklahoma did not report for 2021-22

Rank	Region	Public high school 4-year graduation rate (ACGR)
11	Connecticut	88.9%
12	Mississippi	88.9%
13	Alabama	88.2%
14	Utah	88.2%
15	Arkansas	88.2%
16	Delaware	87.8%
17	Indiana	87.7%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students (2021-22)

Utah ranks 30 of 48, highest first. Adjusted cohort graduation rate

Rank	Region	Graduation rate of economically disadvantaged students
27	Georgia	78.6%
28	Maryland	77.9%
29	Louisiana	77.5%
30	Utah	77.5%
31	Ohio	76.8%
32	Maine	76.6%
33	Washington	76.5%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Utah ranks 8 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade reading, average score
5	New Hampshire	221
6	Indiana	220
7	Connecticut	219
8	Utah	219
9	Mississippi	219
10	Florida	218
11	Kentucky	218

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score (2024)

Utah ranks 8 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade reading, average score
5	Connecticut	263
6	Illinois	262
7	Indiana	262
8	Utah	261
9	Iowa	261
10	Idaho	261
11	Montana	261

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Utah ranks 4 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP fourth-grade mathematics, average score
1	Massachusetts	246
2	Florida	243
3	Wyoming	243
4	Utah	242
5	New Hampshire	242
6	Texas	241
7	Minnesota	241

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score (2024)

Utah ranks 5 of 51, highest first. Public school students; scale 0-500

Rank	Region	NAEP eighth-grade mathematics, average score
2	Wisconsin	283
3	New Jersey	282
4	Minnesota	282
5	Utah	282
6	South Dakota	281
7	Nebraska	280
8	New Hampshire	280

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics (2024)

Utah ranks 4 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Eighth graders at or above NAEP Proficient in mathematics
1	Massachusetts	37.2%
2	New Jersey	36.8%
3	Wisconsin	36.5%
4	Utah	35.1%
5	Minnesota	34.0%
6	South Dakota	33.3%
7	Colorado	32.5%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading (2024)

Utah ranks 44 of 51, highest first. Public school students

Rank	Region	Fourth graders below NAEP Basic in reading
41	Kentucky	37.7%
42	Florida	37.6%
43	Connecticut	36.8%
44	Utah	35.5%
45	Mississippi	35.4%
46	Colorado	35.1%
47	Indiana	34.7%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Current spending per pupil, public schools (FY2024)

Utah ranks 50 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau Annual Survey of School System Finances

Rank	Region	Current spending per pupil, public schools
45	South Dakota	$12,828
46	Florida	$12,693
47	Mississippi	$12,324
48	Oklahoma	$12,162
49	Arizona	$12,003
50	Utah	$11,347
51	Idaho	$11,060

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019 (FY2019-FY2024)

Utah ranks 9 of 51, highest first. Current dollars, not adjusted for inflation

Rank	Region	Change in current spending per pupil since FY2019
6	Colorado	+44.2%
7	Michigan	+43.6%
8	Vermont	+41.9%
9	Utah	+41.6%
10	Georgia	+41.0%
11	District of Columbia	+39.7%
12	Arizona	+39.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Share of public school revenue from local sources (FY2024)

Utah ranks 25 of 51, highest first. Census Bureau

Rank	Region	Share of public school revenue from local sources
22	South Carolina	44.6%
23	Montana	43.2%
24	Oklahoma	41.5%
25	Utah	41.5%
26	Iowa	39.9%
27	Tennessee	39.8%
28	Wyoming	39.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Pupils per teacher, public schools (Fall 2022)

Utah ranks 2 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Pupils per teacher, public schools
1	Arizona	22.8
2	Utah	22.2
3	California	21.8
4	Nevada	21.0
5	Oregon	18.7
6	Florida	18.3
7	Alaska	18.3

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023 (2019-2023)

Utah ranks 7 of 51, highest first. Common Core of Data

Rank	Region	Change in public school enrollment, fall 2019 to fall 2023
4	Delaware	+1.4%
5	South Dakota	+1.1%
6	South Carolina	+0.9%
7	Utah	+0.8%
8	Texas	+0.7%
9	Alabama	+0.6%
10	Florida	+0.5%

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education) · saved copy

Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher (2024)

Utah ranks 14 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over with a bachelor's degree or higher
11	Washington	41.0%
12	Minnesota	40.0%
13	Illinois	39.2%
14	Utah	39.1%
15	Rhode Island	39.0%
16	California	38.1%
17	Oregon	37.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent (2024)

Utah ranks 41 of 51, highest first. American Community Survey 1-year estimates

Rank	Region	Adults 25 and over without a high school diploma or equivalent
38	Iowa	7.0%
39	Colorado	6.8%
40	Alaska	6.6%
41	Utah	6.4%
42	Wisconsin	6.3%
43	Hawaii	6.3%
44	South Dakota	6.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

More on Utah: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · the United States

Sources

National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46: Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), by selected student characteristics and state, 2011-12 through 2021-22, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1913b92e5e75…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table-based summary file: Educational attainment for the population 25 years and over (B15003), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c933281d2c2…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2024, Table 203.20: Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by state, fall 1990 through fall 2023 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8e370b60d62a…)
U.S. Census Bureau: 2024 Annual Survey of School System Finances: summary tables (Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, fiscal year 2024), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 848133174f29…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 913ed194a3d5…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP mathematics grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7dc207d5418d…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 4, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7da857933d83…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): NAEP reading grade 8, 2019 and 2024: average scale score and achievement-level percentages for public school students by state (NAEP Data Service), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 790de8a24822…)
National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education): Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 208.40: Public elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios, by state, fall 2000 through fall 2022 (Common Core of Data), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c15568f58c4c…)

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