Summary:
ZIP code 84651, serving Payson, has two middle schools—Payson Junior High for grades 7–9 and Mt. Nebo Middle for grades 6–7—both part of Nebo District, with a combined enrollment of about 2,177 students.
Mt. Nebo Middle appears to be the stronger overall choice based on statewide rankings and academic results. It ranked 158th of 217 Utah schools, compared with 187th for Payson Junior High. Mt. Nebo’s strongest subject is sixth-grade science, with 56.4% of students proficient—close to the state rate—and its seventh-grade math performance improved to 38.3%. However, sixth-grade math remains a concern at 20.8%. Mt. Nebo Middle also has a lower student-teacher ratio, 20.9 compared with 23.6 at Payson Junior High, although its reported free- and reduced-price lunch rate is somewhat higher.
Payson Junior High faces greater academic challenges, especially in eighth-grade math, where 16.1% of students were proficient, and eighth-grade science, at 34.9%. Its ninth-grade results are consistently better than its eighth-grade results, and ninth-grade science rose notably to 41.0%, suggesting encouraging progress. Attendance is a major concern at both schools: chronic absenteeism is approximately 37%–38%, well above the district and state rates. For families comparing these schools, Mt. Nebo Middle has the stronger overall profile, while Payson Junior High shows a promising science improvement that could be worth monitoring.
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