To inform local decision-makers and community partners, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute launched “Northwest Valley Datapoints,” a series of fact sheets designed to provide important data about the communities of West Valley City, Kearns, Taylorsville, Magna, and Salt Lake City west of I-15. This sixth and final installment details the region’s education landscape.
“Understanding local education trends in Northwest Salt Lake County is critical to meeting the needs of diverse student populations,” said Andrea Thomas Brandley, Senior Education Analyst at the Gardner Institute. “Our research highlights key challenges including declining enrollment, academic performance disparities, and chronic absenteeism. Together, these trends point to an opportunity to strengthen support systems and improve outcomes for students across the region.”
Key findings from the research include the following:
Diverse Student Population – Students of color make up 70% of the Northwest Valley’s enrollment, with Hispanic students accounting for over half of total enrollment. Nearly 60% of students are economically disadvantaged, and about 30% are English learners.
Declining Enrollment – Like the state and county overall, public school enrollment in Northwest Salt Lake County has declined, dropping 11.2% (almost 7,000 students) since 2018.
Early Learning Challenges – Despite high participation in public preschool programs, overall preschool enrollment is lower in Northwest Valley. Only one in three area kindergarteners start school meeting beginning-of-year reading benchmarks.
Chronic Absenteeism and Mobility – Nearly one-third of Northwest Valley students were chronically absent last year, and over 21% experienced midyear enrollment changes, disrupting learning continuity.
Academic Performance Disparities – Northwest Valley schools trail in standardized test scores, with gaps persisting across subjects and grade levels. Math performance is particularly low, with 24.6% of students in grades 3-8 and16.2% of students in grade 9-10 meeting proficiency.
High School Graduation Rates – Fewer Northwest Valley students graduate high school. In 2024–25, the four-year graduation rate was 80.4%, compared with 85.9% in Salt Lake County and 89.8% statewide.
