Pacific Heritage Academy

Pacific Heritage Academy is a K–8 school in Salt Lake City serving 327 students in an urban area near several elementary schools, most of which are less than a mile away. Unlike nearly all nearby comparison schools, it continues through 8th grade, providing both elementary and middle-school grades. The school operates independently as the Pacific Heritage Academy district, while most nearby schools are part of the Salt Lake District.

The school’s biggest concern is attendance: 56.3% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, compared with 23.8% statewide and 32.7% at nearby Backman School, the lowest reported comparison. More than half of students were chronically absent despite a recent improvement from 60.5%. State ranking results have also generally remained near the bottom: the school ranked 529th of 561 schools, at the 6th percentile, in 2022–2023. Nearby schools also face challenges, although Washington School and Edison School had stronger recent listed rankings.

Test results are below Utah averages in every reported subject and grade, with the sharpest weakness in middle-grade mathematics: proficiency was under 20% in 6th grade, 20.9% in 7th grade, and 10–29% in 8th grade. The school shows relative strengths in 3rd- and 4th-grade math, where results were 39.5% and 30–48%, and in 5th- and 6th-grade science, reported at 30–48% and 30–49%. Its 20.4 student-teacher ratio is higher than most nearby comparison schools. Families may want to ask about attendance improvement, middle-school math support, student growth, and how the school is responding to its broader K–8 responsibilities.