Is Backman School a good school?

Backman School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Utah elementary schools.

How many students attend Backman School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 364 students attended Backman School.

What is the racial makeup of Backman School?

Students at Backman School are 56% Hispanic, 14% White, 14% African American, 6% Pacific Islander, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Backman School attend?

Students who attend Backman School usually go on to attend: Middle : Northwest Middle High : Innovations High School High : West High

Backman School

Summary:

Backman School is an elementary school located in Salt Lake City, Utah, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 364 students. The school is part of the Salt Lake District, which is ranked 54 out of 98 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Backman School consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Utah, with proficiency rates ranging from 10.7% to 19% in English Language Arts and Mathematics on the RISE assessments. The school's performance is particularly low for its Hispanic and English Language Learner student subgroups, ranking 36 out of 44 and 21 out of 26 elementary schools in the state, respectively, in the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, 87.36% of Backman School's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the state and district averages.

While the nearby schools in the Salt Lake District, such as Edison School, North Star School, and Escalante School, generally perform better than Backman School on the RISE assessments, these schools also serve student populations with similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. This suggests that factors beyond just student demographics may be contributing to Backman School's poor academic performance, and a comprehensive, data-driven approach to school improvement may be necessary to address the underlying issues and help these students succeed.

Detail:

Public, Magnet PK, KG-6

601 N 1500 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

(801) 578-8100

District: Salt Lake District

SchoolDigger Rank:
559^th of 561 Utah Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,562

Students who attend Backman School usually attend:

Middle:	Northwest Middle
High:	Innovations High School
	West High

Student/teacher ratio: 15.0

Number of students: 364

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.3%

White:

14.0%

African American:

13.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 87.4%

See top rated Utah elementary schools

Compare Backman School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Backman School ranks worse than 99.6% of elementary schools in Utah. It also ranks last among 23 ranked elementary schools in the Salt Lake District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 2.65. (See more...)

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 Backman School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Salt Lake District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Backman School is $11,562, which is the 10^th highest among 23 elementary schools in the Salt Lake District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Backman School:

SchoolDigger ranks Backman School 559^th of 561 Utah public elementary schools. (See Backman School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Salt Lake District:

SchoolDigger ranks Salt Lake District 54^th of 98 Utah school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Backman School

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Rank History for all students at Backman School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	UT State Percentile
2008	6.30	485^th	498	2.6%
2009	9.85	490^th	509	3.7%
2010	8.74	503^rd	518	2.9%
2011	7.29	551^st	563	2.1%
2012	13.05	546^th	579	5.7%
2013	9.79	550^th	576	4.5%
2014	10.90	464^th	509	8.8%
2015	9.04	498^th	537	7.3%
2016	11.72	483^rd	533	9.4%
2017	11.10	482^nd	526	8.4%
2018	18.09	447^th	528	15.3%
2019	20.86	466^th	572	18.5%
2021	6.26	534^th	559	4.5%
2022	6.49	529^th	551	4.0%
2023	4.83	548^th	561	2.3%
2024	2.65	559^th	561	0.4%

See the entire list of Utah Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Backman School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	UT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	27.98	21^st	26	19.2%

See the entire list of Best Utah Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Backman School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	UT State Percentile
2022	24.09	94^th	111	15.3%
2023	9.43	130^th	132	1.5%
2024	13.33	154^th	162	4.9%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Backman School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	UT State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	24.81	36^th	44	18.2%

See the entire list of Best Utah Elementary Schools for Hispanic 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 Backman School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	378	31	17	73	13	n/a	n/a	0	512
1989	326	31	26	73	11	n/a	n/a	0	467
1990	344	23	28	52	25	n/a	n/a	0	472
1991	320	27	37	65	13	n/a	n/a	0	462
1992	285	33	44	84	33	n/a	n/a	0	479
1993	317	30	41	92	30	n/a	n/a	-1	509
1994	310	31	39	131	31	n/a	n/a	0	542
1995	270	27	53	188	31	n/a	n/a	0	569
1996	270	27	53	188	31	n/a	n/a	0	569
1997	244	30	65	192	27	n/a	n/a	0	558
1998	246	23	58	228	35	n/a	n/a	0	590
1999	210	29	55	290	20	n/a	n/a	0	604
2000	186	32	62	297	15	n/a	n/a	0	592
2001	153	30	57	313	15	n/a	n/a	0	568
2002	148	26	35	326	9	n/a	n/a	0	544
2003	148	26	35	326	9	n/a	n/a	0	544
2004	109	18	32	397	16	n/a	n/a	0	572
2005	94	46	19	369	14	n/a	n/a	0	542
2006	95	46	21	394	13	n/a	n/a	0	569
2007	87	43	24	397	11	n/a	n/a	0	562
2008	75	37	22	477	11	n/a	n/a	6	628
2009	80	26	22	459	10	n/a	n/a	6	603
2010	68	28	26	424	8	n/a	n/a	114	668
2011	70	36	9	476	9	31	8	0	639
2012	67	28	8	471	3	24	7	0	608
2013	54	38	13	479	1	12	5	0	602
2014	58	29	21	505	3	13	8	0	637
2015	58	30	22	471	4	10	4	0	599
2016	54	35	25	446	7	18	2	0	587
2017	55	36	17	397	4	16	9	0	534
2018	64	29	18	358	3	19	4	0	495
2019	57	26	20	337	2	20	10	0	472
2020	72	46	14	282	5	34	13	0	466
2021	50	49	11	254	9	26	10	0	409
2022	46	48	14	236	3	23	7	0	377
2023	51	50	12	205	9	22	15	0	364

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 Backman School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	512	19.5	26.2	n/a
1989	467	23.5	19.8	n/a
1990	472	19.3	24.4	44.3
1991	462	18.3	25.2	48.9
1992	479	16.5	29.0	52.4
1993	509	20.0	25.5	53.7
1994	542	20.5	26.4	54.6
1995	569	26.0	21.9	60.5
1996	569	26.0	21.9	60.5
1997	558	29.0	19.2	62.4
1998	590	30.5	19.3	61.2
1999	604	31.3	19.3	75.7
2000	592	29.5	20.1	80.6
2001	568	27.5	20.7	79.4
2002	544	27.5	19.8	82
2003	544	27.5	19.8	82
2004	572	27.5	20.8	88.8
2005	542	29.0	18.7	96.1
2006	569	29.0	19.6	94
2007	562	28.3	19.9	99.5
2008	628	27.9	22.5	89.2
2009	603	20.1	12.7	100.5
2010	668	28.0	23.8	120
2011	639	27.5	23.2	93.3
2012	608	29.8	20.4	99.5
2013	602	28.6	21.0	99.5
2014	637	27.5	23.0	93.4
2015	599	n/a	n/a	94.5
2016	587	n/a	n/a	93.9
2017	534	27.5	19.3	91.6
2018	495	n/a	n/a	92.7
2019	472	27.7	17.0	91.3
2020	466	30.2	15.4	89.9
2021	409	n/a	n/a	82.6
2022	377	28.2	13.3	83.8
2023	364	24.2	15.0	87.4

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 Backman School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	512	19.5	26.2	n/a
1989	467	23.5	19.8	n/a
1990	472	19.3	24.4	44.3
1991	462	18.3	25.2	48.9
1992	479	16.5	29.0	52.4
1993	509	20.0	25.5	53.7
1994	542	20.5	26.4	54.6
1995	569	26.0	21.9	60.5
1996	569	26.0	21.9	60.5
1997	558	29.0	19.2	62.4
1998	590	30.5	19.3	61.2
1999	604	31.3	19.3	75.7
2000	592	29.5	20.1	80.6
2001	568	27.5	20.7	79.4
2002	544	27.5	19.8	82
2003	544	27.5	19.8	82
2004	572	27.5	20.8	88.8
2005	542	29.0	18.7	96.1
2006	569	29.0	19.6	94
2007	562	28.3	19.9	99.5
2008	628	27.9	22.5	89.2
2009	603	20.1	12.7	100.5
2010	668	28.0	23.8	120
2011	639	27.5	23.2	93.3
2012	608	29.8	20.4	99.5
2013	602	28.6	21.0	99.5
2014	637	27.5	23.0	93.4
2015	599	n/a	n/a	94.5
2016	587	n/a	n/a	93.9
2017	534	27.5	19.3	91.6
2018	495	n/a	n/a	92.7
2019	472	27.7	17.0	91.3
2020	466	30.2	15.4	89.9
2021	409	n/a	n/a	82.6
2022	377	28.2	13.3	83.8
2023	364	24.2	15.0	87.4

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 Backman School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,664 (14.4%)	$9,898 (85.6%)	$11,562

Data source: Utah Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Backman School

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 466^th of 572 Elementary schools	Ranks 548^th of 561 Elementary schools	16.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Backman School)	29.6	8.8	20.8%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)	46.4	45.5	0.9%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	46.8	46	0.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Backman School)	36.6	17.6	19%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)	54.6	50.6	4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Utah)	50.2	48.5	1.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Backman School)	25.8	12.5	13.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)	45	43.4	1.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	47.3	44.2	3.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Backman School)	35.5	12.7	22.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)	49.4	48.5	0.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	49.3	50.1	0.8%
4th Grade Science (Backman School)	27.4	14.6	12.8%
4th Grade Science (Salt Lake District)	46.7	47.9	1.2%
4th Grade Science (Utah)	51.1	49.6	1.5%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Backman School)	37	35	2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)	43.6	45.4	1.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	47.9	49	1.1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Backman School)	47.9	21.6	26.3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)	49.8	40.6	9.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	49	44.6	4.4%
5th Grade Science (Backman School)	31.5	23.3	8.2%
5th Grade Science (Salt Lake District)	44.5	44.5
5th Grade Science (Utah)	51.9	48.5	3.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Backman School)	37.8	17.3	20.5%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Salt Lake District)	43.4	41.4	2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Utah)	48.9	45.3	3.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Backman School)	20.7	7.3	13.4%
6th Grade Mathematics (Salt Lake District)	35.6	34.3	1.3%
6th Grade Mathematics (Utah)	39.2	35.4	3.8%
6th Grade Science (Backman School)	43.9	19.3	24.6%
6th Grade Science (Salt Lake District)	52.1	48.4	3.7%
6th Grade Science (Utah)	57.7	55.5	2.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	472	364	22.9%
African American	26	50	92.3%
American Indian	2	9	350%
Asian	20	12	40%
Hispanic	337	205	39.2%
Pacific Islander	20	22	10%
White	57	51	10.5%
Two or More Races	10	15	50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	91.3%	87.4%	4%

Schools Near Backman School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				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	RISE English Language Arts 3rd Grade	RISE English Language Arts 4th Grade	RISE English Language Arts 5th Grade	RISE English Language Arts 6th Grade	RISE Mathematics 3rd Grade	RISE Mathematics 4th Grade	RISE Mathematics 5th Grade	RISE Mathematics 6th Grade	RISE Science 4th Grade	RISE Science 5th Grade	RISE Science 6th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Backman School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-6	601 N 1500 W	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(801) 578-8100	364	24	15.0	87.4%	51 (14.0%)	50 (13.7%)	205 (56.3%)	12 (3.3%)	9 (2.5%)	22 (6.0%)	15 (4.1%)	2.6	559^th of 561 public elementary schools	0.4%		4.8	548^th of 561 public elementary schools	2.3%	11	16.6	14.2	10.7	15.0	18.6	19.0				10.7	11.4	$11,562	$1,664	$9,898
Escalante School	Public	PK, KG-6	1810 W 900 N	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8496	362	22	16.2	79.3%	61 (16.9%)	14 (3.9%)	236 (65.2%)	10 (2.8%)	5 (1.4%)	21 (5.8%)	15 (4.1%)	14.9	481^st of 561 public elementary schools	14.3%		13.5	491^st of 561 public elementary schools	12.5%	10	20.8	21.5	25.0	32.7	28.6	36.9	33.3	16.0	34.7	35.5	32.0	$11,030	$1,491	$9,539
Meadowlark School	Public	PK, KG-6	497 N Morton Dr	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8529	354	21	16.8	98.9%	31 (8.8%)	54 (15.3%)	206 (58.2%)	26 (7.3%)	6 (1.7%)	20 (5.6%)	11 (3.1%)	9.1	522^nd of 561 public elementary schools	7.0%		12.8	495^th of 561 public elementary schools	11.8%	27	22.0	15.7	14.5	25.9	39.6	30.8	18.3	13.4	23.6	18.4	30.0	$12,398	$1,743	$10,656
Pacific Heritage Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1755 W 1100 N	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Pacific Heritage Academy	Yes	No	No	Yes	(801) 363-1892	316	17	18.5	77.8%	37 (11.7%)	9 (2.8%)	162 (51.3%)	28 (8.9%)	1 (0.3%)	58 (18.4%)	20 (6.3%)								(n/a)												$7,244	$996	$6,248
Rose Park School	Public	PK, KG-6	1105 W 1000 N	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8554	294	18	16.6	88.1%	43 (14.6%)	18 (6.1%)	194 (66.0%)	6 (2.0%)	5 (1.7%)	24 (8.2%)	4 (1.4%)	10.4	508^th of 561 public elementary schools	9.4%		5.2	546^th of 561 public elementary schools	2.7%	38	7.3			25.6	9.5			28.5			34.9	$12,584	$1,707	$10,877
Newman School	Public	PK, KG-6	1269 N Colorado St	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8537	267	13	20.1	66.7%	91 (34.1%)	4 (1.5%)	133 (49.8%)	3 (1.1%)	7 (2.6%)	16 (6.0%)	13 (4.9%)								(n/a)												$11,774	$1,184	$10,590
Mary W. Jackson School	Public	PK, KG-6	750 W 200 N	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8165	388	19	20.8	84.0%	75 (19.3%)	27 (7.0%)	235 (60.6%)	5 (1.3%)	12 (3.1%)	18 (4.6%)	16 (4.1%)	8.4	526^th of 561 public elementary schools	6.2%		6.3	536^th of 561 public elementary schools	4.5%	10	21.9	20.9	17.5		31.9	16.9	26.8	10.0	27.3	23.8	31.0	$10,783	$1,330	$9,453
Guadalupe School	Public, Magnet, Charter	PK, KG-6	1385 N 1200 W	Salt Lake City	84116	Salt Lake County	Guadalupe School	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	(801) 531-6100	407	15	26.9	74.4%	23 (5.7%)	4 (1.0%)	376 (92.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3.5	551^st of 561 public elementary schools	1.8%					(n/a)	15.0	13.1			20.0	6.5			21.7			$10,171	$1,819	$8,353
Franklin School	Public	PK, KG-6	1115 W 300 S	Salt Lake City	84104	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 578-8158	306	22	13.9	88.2%	41 (13.4%)	24 (7.8%)	192 (62.7%)	12 (3.9%)	4 (1.3%)	24 (7.8%)	9 (2.9%)	8.1	528^th of 561 public elementary schools	5.9%		6	540^th of 561 public elementary schools	3.7%	12				19.2			27.9			23.8	27.1	$11,896	$1,493	$10,402
Edison School	Public	PK, KG-6	466 Cheyenne	Salt Lake City	84104	Salt Lake County	Salt Lake District	No	No	No	Yes	(801) 974-8300	368	22	16.5	99.5%	37 (10.1%)	10 (2.7%)	246 (66.8%)	36 (9.8%)	7 (1.9%)	26 (7.1%)	6 (1.6%)	7.6	534^th of 561 public elementary schools	4.8%		11.6	507^th of 561 public elementary schools	9.6%	27	29.5	10.7	21.0		22.7	15.5	21.7		12.1	33.3		$11,280	$1,472	$9,808

Backman School

Backman School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Salt Lake District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Backman School

Rank History for all students at Backman School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Backman School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Backman School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Backman School

Enrollment information for Backman School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Backman School

Student/Teacher Ratio Backman School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Backman School

Impact of COVID-19 on Backman School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Backman School

Backman School

Escalante School

Meadowlark School

Pacific Heritage Academy

Rose Park School

Newman School

Mary W. Jackson School

Guadalupe School

Franklin School

Edison School

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