Summary:
Elementary schools in ZIP code 84653 include three prekindergarten-through-sixth-grade schools serving 1,755 students in the Nebo District; the area offers a wide range of academic performance, from a 35th to an 83rd statewide percentile. All three schools share the same district, but their latest results differ considerably. Foothills School is the clear academic leader, ranking 96th of 563 Utah elementary schools and earning a four-star rating. Its average proficiency across the available 2025–26 tests was about 61.7%, compared with 49.0% at Salem School and 42.7% at Mt. Loafer School.
Foothills School led the other schools in every reported 2025–26 grade and subject, including 68.3% proficiency in third-grade math and 64.1% in fourth-grade science. It also had the most favorable student-teacher ratio, at 22.9 students per teacher. However, its chronic absenteeism rate was 33.7%, considerably higher than the district’s 26.6% and the state’s 23.8%, making attendance an important issue to examine. Salem School is showing the strongest improvement: its ranking rose from 366th to 272nd over three years, and its rating increased from two to three stars. Its average proficiency improved by roughly 6.5 percentage points, including a 15.4-point gain in fifth-grade math.
Mt. Loafer School is the largest school, with 642 students, but it has the weakest recent academic results and declined to the 35th statewide percentile. Its performance was below district and state benchmarks in nearly every latest-year comparison, especially third-grade ELA and math and fourth-grade math. Across the area, fifth-grade math is a common relative weakness, while science is the strongest subject overall. For families focused on current academic performance, Foothills School stands out; families prioritizing recent progress may prefer Salem School. Parents considering Mt. Loafer School may want to ask about grade-level interventions and plans to improve achievement.
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