Payson Jr High

Payson Jr High operates as a mid-sized 6-8 campus in PAYSON, Utah, operated by Nebo District. Current enrollment sits at 1,143 students spanning grades 7 through 9. Compared to the state average of about 831 students per school, that is 38% above typical.

Within Nebo District, which oversees 49 schools and 43,696 students, Payson Jr High is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, Payson Jr High lists that the largest single group is White, at 76% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school logs 21% Hispanic, 3% multiracial.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 48 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 23.7:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 21.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 30% of students at Payson Jr High qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Utah County (around 22%), the school's rate is noticeably above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Payson Jr High falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 45.2%; this one comes in at 29.0%, -16.2 points off the demographic line.

Around the school, Utah County reports that median household income runs about $100,671, roughly 44% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Utah County runs 202 public schools (combined enrollment of about 164,467 students), of which Payson Jr High is one.

Payson High is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Payson Jr High ranks 8th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 41.8%.

Payson Jr High operates from a town-based location.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 3%: 1,114 students in 2018 compared to 1,143 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 85% to 76% across the same window.

On this page, members of the Payson Jr High community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.