Original Research by School Decision on George Washington High
George Washington High sits in central Ogden, a city that has seen steady revitalization over the past decade. The downtown area, anchored by Historic 25th Street and Union Station, has drawn new businesses, housing, and public gathering spaces. Major employers include the IRS, McKay Dee Hospital, Weber State University, and a cluster of aerospace and advanced manufacturing firms. The Ogden City District, to which the school belongs, recently passed a major bond measure in 2024, the largest in district history, to build two new elementary schools, renovate existing campuses, and upgrade security district-wide. That means families will see continued investment in facilities, though the bond structure keeps the property tax rate stable rather than lowering it as prior debt retires.
This is a small secondary school, serving grades seven through twelve, with an enrollment concentrated heavily in the upper grades. The student body is majority Hispanic, with a substantial white population and smaller shares of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or multiracial. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a moderate-to-high poverty context. The school is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet.
State assessment data for math, English language arts, and science at the grades-three-through-eight level is suppressed, meaning results are not publicly reported. This is a common pattern when a school’s tested population in those grade spans is very small or when privacy thresholds apply. Because the enrollment in grades seven through ten is tiny—roughly a handful of students—the school likely does not produce a reliable proficiency rate for public release. For a parent looking at test scores, this is a significant gap that cannot be interpreted as either a pass or a fail; it simply reflects the school’s structure. There is no graduation rate data available for this school, which is uncommon for a school serving twelfth grade. A parent may want to ask the school or district directly for this figure.
The school’s size and grade configuration mean it functions almost entirely as an upper high school, with the vast majority of students in grade twelve. The peer environment is therefore one where students are predominantly in their final year, which could affect the social dynamics and the range of elective and extracurricular options available. Because the district has invested heavily in facility upgrades, the physical campus may see improvements over time, though George Washington High’s specific place in the bond projects is not detailed in the available information.
Housing in the area around the school carries a price below the Utah state average for single-family homes, and rents are somewhat above the national benchmark. The typical home in the immediate zip code is moderately priced, and renting a home costs a bit less than a mortgage payment on a median-priced house. The unemployment rate nationally has been relatively stable, and real median household income has trended upward in recent years.
For a family considering this school, the key facts are these: it is a small, upper-grades-focused school serving a diverse and low-income student body in a district that is actively building and renovating. The absence of published test results and graduation data means that conventional academic benchmarks are not available here. A parent would want to visit the school, speak with staff about how they measure student progress and graduation outcomes, and understand what the typical academic and career path looks like for the students who attend. The school’s niche within Ogden City District is not immediately comparable to the larger comprehensive high schools in the county based on the available information.
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