The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 35% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Dixon Middle
Dixon Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in Provo, Utah, as part of Provo District. The school sits in a city that is a regional economic center and the home of Brigham Young University, a mix of downtown commercial corridors, residential neighborhoods, and large institutional campuses. Provo has a FrontRunner commuter rail station and a downtown core with streetscape standards, though much of the city outside that core is auto-oriented. The city’s General Plan describes it as one of the fastest growing cities in Utah, though recent census estimates show a relatively flat population trend. The median home value in the area is above the national benchmark, and rents have been rising.
Dixon Middle is a traditional public school serving only seventh and eighth grades. Its enrollment is large for a two-grade middle school. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Black. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school in a middle range for economic need.
State testing results are available for math, English language arts, and science. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is below the midpoint among districts in Utah County. In English language arts, the share is also below the county midpoint. In science, the share is higher than in math and ELA but still below the county midpoint. The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places Dixon Middle below the midpoint relative to other districts in Utah County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the school supports students who are not yet at the proficient level.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing were not available. Information on special education and English learner populations was also missing. The district brief turned up little of lasting impact in terms of recent changes.
Provo itself is a regional economic center with a large university presence, a mix of startups and major corporate headquarters, and a downtown core with multimodal transportation planning. The city has a FrontRunner commuter rail station and a grid street pattern, though much of the city is auto-oriented outside downtown. The housing market is expensive relative to national benchmarks, with home values above the national median and rents that have been rising. The city’s General Plan identifies managing traffic and providing a mix of housing at various price points as resident priorities.
For a family considering Dixon Middle, the school offers a large peer environment in a city with a strong university and startup economy. The academic proficiency numbers are below the county midpoint, which is a soft spot worth exploring with the school. The school serves only two grades, so the transition into and out of Dixon is a natural point for families to consider. The district did not have recent changes of note to report.
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