Schools in Santaquin, UT

Santaquin, Utah, has four elementary schools serving grades PK–6 or K–6: Orchard Hills School, Apple Valley School, Santaquin School, and C.S. Lewis Academy. Three schools are part of Nebo District and account for about 90% of the 2,277 students represented, while C.S. Lewis Academy serves approximately 224 students. There are no middle or high schools in this list, so families seeking later grades will need to consider schools outside this elementary-school comparison.

Orchard Hills School is the strongest overall option in the current data, ranking 389th of 563 Utah schools and posting the highest average proficiency among the three Nebo District schools. Its mathematics results are especially solid, including fifth-grade performance above both district and state levels, although English language arts and fourth-grade science are clear areas for improvement. Apple Valley School ranks second locally and shows the most encouraging recent momentum: its statewide ranking improved, and average mathematics proficiency rose substantially. Its fourth-grade science result was also strong, though fifth-grade science remains a concern. Santaquin School ranks third and has experienced the sharpest recent decline, including significant drops in mathematics and science after a particularly strong fifth-grade science result the prior year.

C.S. Lewis Academy is a major outlier, with a much smaller enrollment, the lowest ranking, the highest chronic absenteeism rate, and generally lower reported assessment results. More than half of its students are chronically absent, compared with roughly 27%–30% at the three Nebo District schools. Attendance is nevertheless a citywide concern because every school exceeds Utah’s statewide absenteeism rate. Across the three larger schools, English language arts is the weakest common subject, while grade-level results vary considerably, particularly in science. Parents comparing schools should view Orchard Hills as the current academic leader, Apple Valley as the school with the clearest recent improvement, Santaquin as needing closer attention after its decline, and C.S. Lewis as requiring the most intensive consideration of attendance and academic support needs.