Payson High

Summary:

Payson High is a public high school located in Payson, Utah, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 1,554 students. The school is part of the Nebo School District, which is ranked 55 out of 98 districts in Utah and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Payson High consistently ranks in the bottom half of Utah high schools, with its performance on the Utah Aspire Plus assessments significantly below the state and district averages. For example, in 2023-2024, only 33.7% of 10th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 44.6% and the Nebo District average of 42.1%. The school's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with only 13.6% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in 2023-2024, compared to the state and district averages of 27.5% and 27.6%, respectively.

Payson High's academic performance is consistently lower than the nearby schools, including Springville High, Maple Mountain High, Spanish Fork High, and Salem Hills High, which all rank higher in the state. Additionally, Payson High has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (25.16%) compared to the nearby schools, which range from 9.54% to 21.65%, suggesting a higher proportion of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Detail:

Public 6-12

1050 S Main
Payson, UT 84651

(801) 465-6025

District: Nebo District

SchoolDigger Rank:
105^th of 138 Utah High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,484

Feeder schools for Payson High:

Elementary:	Apple Valley School
	Goshen School
	Orchard Hills School
	Park View School
	More...
	Santaquin School
	Spring Lake School
	Wilson School
Middle:	Mt. Nebo Middle
	Payson Junior High

Student/teacher ratio: 22.7

Number of students: 1,554

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.1%

Hispanic:

16.9%

Two or more races:

2.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 25.2%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Payson High ranks worse than 76.1% of high schools in Utah. It also ranks last among 5 ranked high schools in the Nebo District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 25.17. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Payson High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Payson High has the largest high school student body size in the Nebo District. (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Payson High is $8,484, which is the highest among 5 high schools in the Nebo District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Payson High:

SchoolDigger ranks Payson High 105^th of 138 Utah public high schools. (See Payson High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Nebo District:

SchoolDigger ranks Nebo District 55^th of 98 Utah school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Payson High

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Rank History for all students at Payson High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2008	42.58	95^th	142	33.1%
2009	32.65	111^th	148	25.0%
2010	35.67	108^th	153	29.4%
2011	35.09	114^th	164	30.5%
2012	39.67	110^th	166	33.7%
2013	36.44	119^th	167	28.7%
2014	18.22	100^th	120	16.7%
2015	20.29	108^th	131	17.6%
2016	11.75	116^th	129	10.1%
2017	12.20	116^th	125	7.2%
2018	22.89	98^th	123	20.3%
2019	18.65	118^th	136	13.2%
2021	17.53	115^th	129	10.9%
2022	22.54	109^th	131	16.8%
2023	25.94	109^th	139	21.6%
2024	25.17	105^th	138	23.9%

See the entire list of Utah High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Payson High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.89	15^th	20	25.0%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Payson High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	54.32	35^th	84	58.3%
2023	72.20	23^rd	93	75.3%
2024	33.57	58^th	93	37.6%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Payson High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	41.00	37^th	62	40.3%
2023	23.76	53^rd	66	19.7%
2024	59.02	22^nd	72	69.4%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Payson High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	14.81	112^th	123	8.9%
2023	20.46	97^th	122	20.5%
2024	16.92	105^th	123	14.6%

See the entire list of Best Utah High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Utah State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Utah State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Payson High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	931	0	1	23	10	n/a	n/a	0	965
1989	930	0	1	18	6	n/a	n/a	0	955
1990	957	0	0	23	4	n/a	n/a	0	984
1991	986	0	0	24	4	n/a	n/a	0	1014
1992	1036	0	4	31	6	n/a	n/a	0	1077
1993	1138	0	4	39	3	n/a	n/a	0	1184
1994	1137	0	3	46	2	n/a	n/a	0	1188
1995	1289	1	3	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	1322
1996	1289	1	3	28	1	n/a	n/a	0	1322
1997	1323	0	8	57	2	n/a	n/a	0	1390
1998	1273	1	6	59	1	n/a	n/a	0	1340
1999	1274	1	5	53	1	n/a	n/a	0	1334
2000	1247	1	5	54	4	n/a	n/a	0	1311
2001	1230	1	4	59	5	n/a	n/a	0	1299
2002	1287	1	12	73	2	n/a	n/a	0	1375
2003	1287	1	12	73	2	n/a	n/a	0	1375
2004	1351	1	11	90	5	n/a	n/a	0	1458
2005	1392	1	15	101	12	n/a	n/a	0	1521
2006	1355	3	11	129	23	n/a	n/a	0	1521
2007	1356	4	23	124	21	n/a	n/a	0	1528
2008	1399	7	26	181	20	n/a	n/a	0	1633
2009	908	6	9	144	8	n/a	n/a	1	1076
2010	879	5	5	146	13	n/a	n/a	20	1068
2011	866	6	2	140	8	3	5	0	1030
2012	944	3	3	151	6	6	7	0	1120
2013	969	2	5	144	6	3	9	0	1138
2014	1023	3	0	160	10	3	16	0	1215
2015	1032	5	2	178	9	4	20	0	1250
2016	1080	8	2	199	4	8	17	0	1318
2017	1126	10	4	219	4	6	14	0	1383
2018	1121	11	5	234	4	4	15	0	1394
2019	1163	9	7	224	5	4	18	0	1430
2020	1185	13	4	226	1	3	26	0	1458
2021	1277	12	2	277	3	3	29	0	1603
2022	1266	12	2	252	2	1	30	0	1565
2023	1244	7	2	262	5	2	31	1	1554

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Payson High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	965	48.3	19.9	n/a
1989	955	48.5	19.6	n/a
1990	984	49.8	19.7	12.4
1991	1014	48.3	20.9	13
1992	1077	48.5	22.2	15.4
1993	1184	48.5	24.4	17.1
1994	1188	49.9	23.8	17.3
1995	1322	61.7	21.4	15.6
1996	1322	61.7	21.4	15.6
1997	1390	63.0	22.1	14.6
1998	1340	60.5	22.1	14.2
1999	1334	61.8	21.6	22
2000	1311	63.1	20.8	21.7
2001	1299	54.6	23.8	21.1
2002	1375	55.6	24.7	22.3
2003	1375	55.6	24.7	22.3
2004	1458	59.9	24.3	25.9
2005	1521	63.7	23.9	25.4
2006	1521	73.0	20.8	27.7
2007	1528	58.5	26.1	0.3
2008	1633	67.6	24.2	n/a
2009	1076	90.4	19.7	30
2010	1068	47.5	22.4	48.7
2011	1030	44.8	22.9	40.7
2012	1120	50.3	22.2	79
2013	1138	48.9	23.2	91.8
2014	1215	53.1	22.8	42.6
2015	1250	n/a	n/a	39.1
2016	1318	n/a	n/a	35.4
2017	1383	53.1	26.0	36.1
2018	1394	n/a	n/a	23.9
2019	1430	65.8	21.7	28.1
2020	1458	66.9	21.7	27.2
2021	1603	n/a	n/a	24.3
2022	1565	70.2	22.2	18.8
2023	1554	68.3	22.7	25.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Payson High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	965	48.3	19.9	n/a
1989	955	48.5	19.6	n/a
1990	984	49.8	19.7	12.4
1991	1014	48.3	20.9	13
1992	1077	48.5	22.2	15.4
1993	1184	48.5	24.4	17.1
1994	1188	49.9	23.8	17.3
1995	1322	61.7	21.4	15.6
1996	1322	61.7	21.4	15.6
1997	1390	63.0	22.1	14.6
1998	1340	60.5	22.1	14.2
1999	1334	61.8	21.6	22
2000	1311	63.1	20.8	21.7
2001	1299	54.6	23.8	21.1
2002	1375	55.6	24.7	22.3
2003	1375	55.6	24.7	22.3
2004	1458	59.9	24.3	25.9
2005	1521	63.7	23.9	25.4
2006	1521	73.0	20.8	27.7
2007	1528	58.5	26.1	0.3
2008	1633	67.6	24.2	n/a
2009	1076	90.4	19.7	30
2010	1068	47.5	22.4	48.7
2011	1030	44.8	22.9	40.7
2012	1120	50.3	22.2	79
2013	1138	48.9	23.2	91.8
2014	1215	53.1	22.8	42.6
2015	1250	n/a	n/a	39.1
2016	1318	n/a	n/a	35.4
2017	1383	53.1	26.0	36.1
2018	1394	n/a	n/a	23.9
2019	1430	65.8	21.7	28.1
2020	1458	66.9	21.7	27.2
2021	1603	n/a	n/a	24.3
2022	1565	70.2	22.2	18.8
2023	1554	68.3	22.7	25.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Payson High

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$386 (4.5%)	$8,098 (95.5%)	$8,484

Data source: Utah Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Payson High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 118^th of 136 High schools	Ranks 109^th of 139 High schools	8.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
10th Grade English Language Arts (Payson High)	39.8	34.9	4.9%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Nebo District)	49.6	43.6	6%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	49.5	45.3	4.2%
10th Grade Mathematics (Payson High)	20.6	17.9	2.7%
10th Grade Mathematics (Nebo District)	38.5	31.7	6.8%
10th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	36.3	27.7	8.6%
10th Grade Science (Payson High)	21.4	28.9	7.5%
10th Grade Science (Nebo District)	31.4	31.9	0.5%
10th Grade Science (Utah)	33	32.2	0.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	1430	1554	8.7%
African American	9	7	22.2%
American Indian	5	5
Asian	7	2	71.4%
Hispanic	224	262	17%
Pacific Islander	4	2	50%
White	1163	1244	7%
Two or More Races	18	31	72.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	28.1%	25.2%	3%

Schools Near Payson High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts (2024)		Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics (2024)		Utah Aspire Plus Science (2024)		RISE English Language Arts (2024)		RISE Mathematics (2024)		RISE Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus English Language Arts 10th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Mathematics 10th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Science 9th Grade	Utah Aspire Plus Science 10th Grade	RISE English Language Arts 7th Grade	RISE English Language Arts 8th Grade	RISE Mathematics 7th Grade	RISE Mathematics 8th Grade	RISE Science 7th Grade	RISE Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Payson High	Public	6-12	1050 S Main	Payson	84651	Utah County	Nebo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 465-6025	1,554	68	22.7	25.2%	1,244 (80.1%)	7 (0.5%)	262 (16.9%)	2 (0.1%)	5 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	31 (2.0%)	25.2	105^th of 138 public high schools	23.9%		25.9	109^th of 139 public high schools	21.6%	4		33.7		13.6		31.3							$8,484	$386	$8,098
Salem Hills High	Public	9-12	150 N Skyhawk Blvd	Salem	84653	Utah County	Nebo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 423-3200	1,561	64	24.3	16.2%	1,339 (85.8%)	8 (0.5%)	152 (9.7%)	9 (0.6%)	6 (0.4%)	4 (0.3%)	43 (2.8%)	62.1	41^st of 138 public high schools	70.3%		53.6	59^th of 139 public high schools	57.6%	18		45.3		39.4		36.9							$8,456	$522	$7,934
Spanish Fork High	Public	9-12	99 N 300 W	Spanish Fork	84660	Utah County	Nebo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 798-4060	1,519	62	24.6	17.6%	1,235 (81.3%)	7 (0.5%)	199 (13.1%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	20 (1.3%)	51 (3.4%)	34.1	92^nd of 138 public high schools	33.3%		24.5	111^th of 139 public high schools	20.1%	19		40.1		23.8		27.2							$8,293	$382	$7,910
Maple Mountain High	Public	7-12	51 N Spanish Fork Pkwy	Spanish Fork	84660	Utah County	Nebo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 794-6740	1,740	66	26.3	9.5%	1,478 (84.9%)	4 (0.2%)	163 (9.4%)	14 (0.8%)	4 (0.2%)	5 (0.3%)	70 (4.0%)	47.6	74^th of 138 public high schools	46.4%		79.1	17^th of 139 public high schools	87.8%	57		43.4		25.4		36.3							$8,236	$502	$7,734
Merit College Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	1440 W Center Street	Springville	84663	Utah County	Merit College Preparatory Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(801) 491-7600	468	27	17.1	34.2%	318 (67.9%)	3 (0.6%)	127 (27.1%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (1.1%)	9 (1.9%)	25	106^th of 138 public high schools	23.2%		31.4	99^th of 139 public high schools	28.8%	7	28.9	39.0	17.7	17.6	25.4	36.1	37.3	38.3	34.5	31.0	40.0	54.0	$7,734	$551	$7,183
Springville High	Public	6-12	1205 E 900 S	Springville	84663	Utah County	Nebo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 489-2870	1,612	72	22.4	21.7%	1,197 (74.3%)	11 (0.7%)	303 (18.8%)	12 (0.7%)	9 (0.6%)	21 (1.3%)	59 (3.7%)	57	53^rd of 138 public high schools	61.6%		59.2	45^th of 139 public high schools	67.6%	8		46.7		37.0		32.2							$7,954	$375	$7,579
Independence High	Public	5-12	636 N Independence Ave	Provo	84601	Utah County	Provo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 374-4920	268	23	11.8	53.7%	98 (36.6%)	8 (3.0%)	141 (52.6%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.2%)	6 (2.2%)	7 (2.6%)								(n/a)													$15,106	$779	$14,327
Provo Adult Education	Public	9-12	636 N Independence Ave	Provo	84601	Utah County	Provo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 374-4840	0	1	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Provo High	Public	7-12	1199 North Lakeshore Dr	Provo	84601	Utah County	Provo District	No	No	No	No	(801) 373-6550	1,988	80	24.8	37.0%	1,037 (52.2%)	10 (0.5%)	763 (38.4%)	33 (1.7%)	19 (1.0%)	64 (3.2%)	62 (3.1%)	22.4	113^th of 138 public high schools	18.1%		21.2	113^th of 139 public high schools	18.7%		34.4	36.2	23.9	17.6	28.1	22.4							$9,806	$484	$9,322
Utah County Academy of Science	Public, Magnet, Charter	9-12	940 W 800 S	Orem	84058	Utah County	Utah County Academy of Science	Yes	Yes	No	No	(801) 863-2222	556	22	24.9	14.7%	354 (63.7%)	3 (0.5%)	158 (28.4%)	20 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.9%)	15 (2.7%)	99.2	2^nd of 138 public high schools	98.6%		99.9	1^st of 139 public high schools	99.3%	1	62.7	81.9	76.7	72.6	82.5	73.4							$8,825	$919	$7,906

Frequently Asked Questions about Payson High

What schools feed into Payson High?

Payson High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Apple Valley School
Elementary : Goshen School
Elementary : Orchard Hills School
Elementary : Park View School
Elementary : Santaquin School
Elementary : Spring Lake School
Elementary : Wilson School
Middle : Mt. Nebo Middle
Middle : Payson Junior High

How many students attend Payson High?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,554 students attended Payson High.

What district is Payson High in?

Nebo District

Is Payson High a good school?

Payson High ranks in the bottom 23.9% of Utah high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Payson High?

Students at Payson High are 80% White, 17% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

Rate Payson High!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Utah State Board of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.