The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on South Hills Middle
South Hills Middle is a public school in the Jordan School District serving seventh through ninth grade in Riverton, a rapidly growing suburban city in the southwestern corner of the Salt Lake Valley. With an enrollment of just over a thousand students, it is a large middle school for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and small shares of students who identify as Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or multiracial. About a fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that places the school at the lower end of economic disadvantage compared to many schools statewide.
State testing results from Utah’s RISE assessment give a mixed picture. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was a bit above the midpoint among schools in Salt Lake County. Science proficiency was notably stronger than the county median. English language arts proficiency, however, came in lower than both math and science for the most recent tested year. Because the state changed the cut scores for ELA in a recent cycle, comparing current results to prior years is difficult. A parent may want to ask the school how ELA instruction has been trending and what support is in place for students who are below grade level in reading and writing.
The school serves only three grades, so there are no graduation rate data to report. That is a function of the grade span, not a reflection on the school. The available data do not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, course access, or staffing ratios, so those areas remain uncharacterized here.
Riverton itself has a family-oriented profile, with a large share of households containing children and many two-parent households. The city has been growing rapidly, transforming from a rural farming town into a suburban community with major new developments such as the Mountain View Village mixed-use center. Housing values in the area are above the national typical level, and rents are also high relative to the national median. A typical home here would require a substantial income to afford, and renting is notably cheaper than buying at current mortgage rates. The area is car-dependent, with limited public transit and a built environment of single-family subdivisions and strip commercial centers rather than a walkable downtown.
Jordan District, one of Utah’s largest, has been experiencing steady enrollment growth, which has driven the need for new schools and boundary adjustments that affect school assignments and class sizes. The school is not a charter school. Data on whether it qualifies as a Title I school was not reported. No information about magnet or special program status was available in the data.
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