Blanding School

Blanding School is a public elementary school in Blanding, southeastern Utah, serving 509 students in prekindergarten through fifth grade as part of the San Juan District. The school currently ranks 310th of 563 Utah schools, placing it in the 45th percentile with a two-star rating. Its recent direction is encouraging: it rose from the 28th percentile in 2024–2025 and the 31st percentile in 2023–2024.

Academically, Blanding School exceeded the district average in every reported grade and subject in 2025–2026. Its standout result was fourth-grade math, with 60.3% of students proficient—above both the district’s 38.1% and the state’s 50.4%. Fourth-grade science was also strong at 53.7%, slightly above the state. The school remained below statewide results in most other areas, especially fifth-grade English language arts, math, and science, where proficiency was 38.6%, 39.8%, and 45.8%. Its low socioeconomic status subgroup ranked in the 83rd percentile statewide, an encouraging sign of effectiveness serving students facing economic challenges.

The closest comparison provided is Monticello School, about 19 miles away in the same district, though it serves prekindergarten through sixth grade and has 277 students. Blanding School currently has the stronger overall ranking—45th percentile versus Monticello School’s 21st—and lower chronic absenteeism, 28.6% versus 41.9%. However, Monticello was stronger in fourth-grade ELA and science, while Blanding led clearly in fifth-grade ELA and math. Blanding’s student-teacher ratio improved to 18.1, though Monticello’s 17.0 remains more favorable. Overall, Blanding combines meaningful recent progress with clear opportunities to improve fifth-grade performance and reduce absenteeism closer to Utah’s 23.8% rate.