PUBLIC EDUCATION IN UTAH

Utah boasts one of the best public education systems in the nation, with over 36,000 educators who have been resilient and adaptive to the changing educational environment, while maintaining a focus on continual improvement in student outcomes. Utah’s public school system consists of traditional neighborhood schools, charter schools, magnet schools, and virtual schools that educate over 665,000 students, or onefifth of the state’s population. In 2022, 45,432 students graduated from Utah high schools, with the graduation rate in the state steadily increasing over the past seven years.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics, in their recent release of what is known as NAEP, or “The Nation’s Report Card,” show that Utah students have been remarkably resilient in the face of pandemicrelated educational setbacks that have affected school children nationwide. In Utah, fourth and eighth grade math and reading scores are now in the top 10 nationally in all four categories measured by the NAEP.

Additionally, of the states where at least 90% of students took the ACT, Utah students had the highest average composite scores, as well as the highest percentage of students who met each of the college readiness benchmarks according to the 2022 ACT Graduating Class Report.

Technology has become a fundamental component of the teaching and learning that takes place in Utah, both inside and outside the classroom. Even before they begin attending Utah schools, children are eligible to participate in programs that utilize educational technology to prepare them for their education. UPSTART, for example, is a home-based program that gives Utah fouryear-olds an individualized curriculum of reading, mathematics, and science in the year before they attend kindergarten. Over 20,000 Utah children currently utilize UPSTART.

Utah’s Digital Teaching and Learning Program has now been in place for over 10 years. The program provides grants to local education agencies to improve student learning outcomes and provide high-quality professional learning for educators related to the effective use of digital teaching and learning technology. Components of a digital teaching and learning program may include student and teacher devices, Wi-Fi and wireless compatible technology, curriculum software, assessment solutions, technical support, etc. Approximately 94 percent of Utah residents have a home computer and nearly 84 percent have broadband internet. About 10 percent of Utah’s public school students attend school entirely online by choice. The Statewide Online Education Program also offers courses to secondary schools throughout the state.

Utah public education supports transitions and has a variety of programs in place to provide programming and support so that every student, through individual student planning, career pathways, and career literacy, is better prepared for the world of work or post-secondary educational opportunities. In Utah, most high school students earn some form of college credit before graduation through Advanced Placement courses, concurrent enrollment in Utah colleges, or the International Baccalaureate Program. These programs offer career training, save money for Utah families, and help students be better prepared for postsecondary education.

Utah also leans into personalized learning — tailoring learning for each student’s strengths, needs, and interests. This includes enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn — to provide flexibility and support to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible. To ensure that all students have access to personalized approaches to learning, districts and schools throughout the state continue to develop and implement new school system models.

Utah is home to 41 school districts. Most of the state’s rural districts maintain the same boundaries as the counties in which they are located, while the urban counties tend to have multiple school districts. Urban districts, such as Alpine, Davis, Granite, and Jordan are among the 100 largest school

districts in the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Alpine, Davis, and Granite each have more than 70,000 students. The operation of the schools in Utah’s school districts is carried out by non-partisan, locally elected district boards of education, which set policy and hire a superintendent to carry out day-today administration.

Utah’s Constitution grants the “general control and supervision” of the state’s public education system to the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), a 15-member elected body. What this translates into is the State Board of Education setting standards and requirements — academic and financial — for schools. USBE’s vision is to ensure that all Utah students are prepared to succeed and lead by having the knowledge and skills to learn and engage civically and lead meaningful lives. To actualize this vision, USBE worked closely with parents, educators, and other education leaders to create and implement “Portrait of a Graduate,” a framework for student success and school quality that goes beyond academic mastery by also recognizing skills like communication and creativity, dispositions like resilience and respect, and other social and emotional dimensions of learning.

The Portrait of a Graduate, which serves as USBE’s north star for system transformation, has garnered national attention, and several other states have begun to use this framework as a starting point or enhancement for their own education systems. In 2022, USBE hosted workshops across the state to support school districts and charter schools, along with their local Board members, in beginning the process of adapting, adopting, or developing a Portrait of a Graduate for their communities.

We encourage you to learn more about our public schools and see for yourself why Utah has one of the best public education systems in the nation. You can find contact and link information to all 41 districts at schools. utah.gov/schooldistricts. You can also find more information about individual schools within each of the districts, and information about charter schools at schools.utah. gov/schoolsdirectory. Utah students and educators are truly on the road to awesome!