Summary:
Uintah District has two middle schools in Vernal, Utah—Vernal Middle and Uintah Middle School—serving grades 6–8 and enrolling 1,421 students combined. Vernal Middle is larger, with 842 students, while Uintah Middle School enrolls 579.
Vernal Middle is the stronger overall academic performer. It ranks 80th of 217 schools and has a 3-star rating, compared with 113th and 2 stars for Uintah Middle School. The biggest difference is mathematics: about 52% of students at Vernal Middle were proficient across grades, compared with 34% at Uintah Middle School. Vernal Middle exceeded district and state math averages in every grade. Its strongest results were eighth-grade math and science. English results were nearly tied overall, with both schools strongest in eighth grade and weaker in seventh grade.
Uintah Middle School shows encouraging momentum. Its ranking improved from 146th to 113th over the reported period, and its science proficiency rose substantially, reaching about 55% across grades—nearly equal to Vernal Middle. It also has a lower student–teacher ratio and lower chronic absenteeism: 37.3% versus 44.4% at Vernal Middle. However, both schools have absenteeism well above the state rate, making attendance an important area for improvement. Families comparing the schools may view Vernal Middle as the stronger current academic choice, while Uintah Middle School offers promising improvement, especially in science.
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