The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Science. The lowest is 16% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Valley Crest School
Valley Crest School is an elementary school in West Valley City, part of the Granite District, serving children from prekindergarten through sixth grade. West Valley City is a large suburban city that grew from a cluster of unincorporated communities into Utah’s second-largest city, now a mix of residential neighborhoods, retail corridors, and industrial space with a significant employment base. The school sits in a part of the city that is predominantly residential, with wide arterial roads and auto-oriented development, though a planned downtown district around Fairbourne Station has been taking shape to concentrate housing, civic uses, and transit connections.
The student body is diverse. Hispanic and White students each account for a substantial share, with smaller but visible groups of Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, multiracial, and American Indian students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of moderate economic need. Information on the share of students with disabilities or those identified as English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the support structures in place.
Academic performance on state assessments is notably soft. In math, English language arts, and science, the proportion of students scoring proficient or above placed the school in the bottom quartile among elementary schools across Salt Lake County. The test results cover the grades that take state assessments, third through sixth. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism or attendance patterns was also missing. Parents looking at these numbers will want to understand what instructional strategies and interventions the school uses, and how it supports students who are not yet at grade level.
Housing in the area falls somewhat below the state median home value, though still at a level that represents a significant monthly cost relative to typical incomes. Rents have been rising slowly. The city’s economy is anchored by large employers in finance, logistics, and manufacturing, and a steady stream of capital investment has been reported in recent years. For families, the school’s location provides reasonable access to the TRAX light rail and bus rapid transit lines, though daily life for most residents is car-dependent.
We looked for the Granite District’s recent strategic plans, bond referendums, or budget priorities but found little publicly reported detail, so we cannot speak to any district-level initiatives that might affect Valley Crest. What is clear from the available data is a school that serves a diverse and economically mixed community but whose academic outcomes are low relative to others in the county. A family considering this school should weigh these results alongside the school’s size and setting, and should seek a conversation with the principal about how the school addresses learning gaps and what enrichment or support programs exist that the state data does not capture.
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