Parowan School

Parowan School is a public elementary school serving 418 students in grades K–6 in the small southern Utah community of Parowan, as part of Iron District. The school’s latest statewide ranking was 337th out of 563 Utah schools, placing it in the 40th percentile with a two-star rating. This was a notable drop from 2024–25, when it ranked in the 71st percentile. Locally, Parowan falls in the middle-to-lower-middle range: it ranked below Iron Springs School, Enoch School, and Cedar South School, but above Three Peaks School and Cedar East School.

Academic results vary considerably by grade and subject. Mathematics is a relative strength in grades 3 and 4, where Parowan outperformed both district and state averages in 2025–26. Performance fell in grades 5 and 6, especially grade 5. English language arts is the clearest concern: Parowan scored below district and state averages in every tested grade, with particularly low results in grades 5 and 6. Science is more mixed, with strong results in grades 4 and 6 but weaker grade 5 performance. The recurring grade 5 dip and the sharp contrast between grade 6’s weak ELA and strong science results suggest that improvement needs may be concentrated in particular grades and subjects rather than affecting every classroom equally.

One especially positive finding is Parowan’s effectiveness with students from low-income backgrounds: the subgroup ranked 7th out of 139 Utah schools in 2025–26, in the 95th percentile. The school also has a relatively favorable 18:1 student-teacher ratio, better than most nearby schools. Attendance is a significant challenge, however. Chronic absenteeism was 26.0% in 2024–25, well above the Iron District rate of 14.4%, although it improved from 28.1% the previous year. For families, the key takeaways are a school with a stronger long-term record than its latest ranking suggests, notable support for economically disadvantaged students, and clear priorities in attendance, upper-elementary reading, and grade 5 achievement.