Western Hills School

Western Hills School is an elementary school in Kearns, Utah, serving around 300 students in grades PK-6 as part of the Granite School District. Over the past several years, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Utah elementary schools, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Western Hills School faces significant challenges in student achievement, with consistently low test scores across all grade levels and subjects compared to the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science were around 13-18%, while the district's rates were 34-40% and the state's were 46-52%. The school also has a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 69% to 81% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools.

Despite the higher spending per student at Western Hills School, the school's performance remains low, indicating that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution to improving student outcomes. Analyzing the practices and strategies employed at the higher-performing nearby schools, such as Jim Bridger School and Fox Hills School, could provide valuable insights for improving Western Hills School.