The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in Math. The lowest is 11% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Western Hills School
Western Hills School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Kearns, a primarily residential suburb on the western side of the Salt Lake Valley. The school sits within the larger Granite District.
Kearns has a distinctive origin story. It began as a World War II Army Air Forces training base, Camp Kearns, and after deactivation, homes and businesses were built rapidly on the former base infrastructure. The old military streets and foundations became the template for the town, making it what is described as the first suburb in Salt Lake County. The community grew through later decades and officially incorporated as a city in 2024. The built environment today is predominantly single-family homes on modest lots, with strip commercial along major roads. There is no traditional downtown; community life centers on Oquirrh Park, the Utah Olympic Oval, and the Kearns Library. The Olympic Oval, built for the Winter Olympics, remains a significant local institution. Bus service through the Utah Transit Authority connects the area to the broader Salt Lake Valley. Housing values in the zip code are below the state benchmark, and typical rents are moderate relative to national medians. A substantial share of students at Western Hills qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school is relatively small for its grade band. Its enrollment is majority Hispanic, with a significant white population and smaller shares of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on students receiving special education services and English learner services was not available in the record.
Academic performance, based on the most recent state assessments, is where a parent will want to pay the closest attention. Proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science were each low. Placed alongside other elementary and middle schools in Salt Lake County, the school’s overall proficiency index falls within the bottom quartile. This is a clear signal that typical achievement levels are well below the median of county peers. The state testing program used is Utah’s RISE assessment.
Because the school only serves through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. Program offerings were not included in the data provided, so a parent interested in music, art, foreign language, or other enrichment would want to check with the school directly.
No information was available about school discipline patterns, staffing ratios, or course access. Title I status was also not reported.
For a family considering Western Hills, the picture is straightforward. The community is a stable, modest suburb with a distinct history and limited future growth constraints. The cost of housing is below the state average, and the school serves a population with significant economic need. The academic numbers point to a school where many students are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, and that is likely a priority focus for the building and the district. A parent moving into the area or weighing options should ask what academic interventions and supports are in place, particularly in reading and math in the early grades.
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