Pacific Heritage Academy

Pacific Heritage Academy is the sole public charter elementary school serving grades K-8 in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a total enrollment of 316 students. While the school boasts a diverse student population, it has consistently underperformed compared to its peers across the state, ranking in the bottom half of Utah elementary schools for the past several years.

Despite having a majority Hispanic student body (51.27%) and significant populations of Pacific Islander (18.35%), White (11.71%), and Asian (8.86%) students, Pacific Heritage Academy has struggled to meet academic standards, with its RISE test scores falling well below the state averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science across grades 6 and 8. The school's low performance is further reflected in its 0-star rating from SchoolDigger and its ranking of 529 out of 561 Utah elementary schools in the 2022-2023 school year.

Factors that may be contributing to the school's academic challenges include its high poverty rates, with 77.85% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and its relatively low per-student spending of $7,244, which is below the state average. The school's student-teacher ratio of 18.5 is also slightly higher than the state average, potentially impacting the quality of instruction. To improve, Pacific Heritage Academy may need to explore strategies to better support its diverse student population, enhance its instructional practices, and secure additional funding and resources.