Education

Utah’s population is young and growing, which means an impressive number of students get their start in the state’s education system. Through innovative programs in K-12 education, higher education, and other post-secondary education, those students become well-prepared members of the state’s expanding workforce. An educated workforce has economic benefits for individuals and companies today and in the future.

During the 2020-21 school year, the legislature allocated 50% of Utah’s statewide budget to education, making Utah’s education spending ninthhighest in the nation. Utah has 666,858 K-12 students enrolled in more than 1,000 public schools and 130 charter schools, which serve about 11% of all Utah public school students.

Over 220 Utah schools offer dual language immersion programs in six different languages: French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

The increase in ongoing (state-directed) public education funding from 2010 to 2020 is approximately $2 billion, supporting high-quality education for students throughout Utah. Statewide, Utah’s high school graduation rate increased from 84.7% in 2015 to 87.4% in 2019.

Utah ranks fourth in the country for reading proficiency in 4th-graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) ratings.

In science, Utah 8th graders’ mean score is No. 1 in the country.

Utah high school students earned 323,749 concurrent enrollment credits in the 2019-2020 school year, which is nearly 11.7% more than the previous year. It is estimated students saved $62.7 million in future tuition expenses through concurrent enrollment.

Utahns value higher education and recognize a college degree contributes to individuals’ and communities’ economic prosperity. More than 230,000 people, or 7.2% of the state’s population, are enrolled in a public postsecondary technical college or degree-granting institution.

As of 2020, over half of Utahns (53%) between ages 25 and 64 have a college degree or certificate.

Utah’s public four-year institutions ranked third-lowest in the nation for cost of in-state tuition and fees in 2019-2020. On average, Utah students pay $7,160 per year. Thanks to that low tuition, Utah graduates have the lowest debt rate in the country. Only 36% of Utah college graduates have student loan debt, contributing to Utah’s vibrant middle class.