Old Mill Elementary School in Heber City is Utah’s fifth-best traditional elementary, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings. It’s the only Wasatch Back elementary to make Utah’s top 10.
Principal LaNay King said she is proud of her staff and students.
“I recognize all of their efforts collaboratively to produce some great results, and it's thrilling for me as a principal to preside over an organization that believes in excellence,” she said.
The rankings are based on the most recent assessment data available, including math scores from the 2022-2023 school year and reading scores from 2021-2022.
Old Mill students performed “well above expectations” for both math and reading. They tied for sixth place in reading proficiency with 70% of students proficient. Around 80% of Old Mill students are proficient in math in the state, putting the school in seventh place for math proficiency.
That’s compared to the 41% state proficiency average for both reading and math.
Old Mill also made the top 10 for its small classroom sizes, where each teacher has around 19 students.
LaNay said the biggest reason for the school’s success is the district’s focus on supporting teacher growth, which in turn benefits students.
“The only way to make sure that every child gets attention every day is to make sure that you have the systems and support for the well-meaning and well-skilled adults in the building to meet the individualized needs of almost 800 students,” she said.
Compared to other Wasatch Back elementaries, Old Mill is No. 1. Wasatch County School District’s Midway Elementary takes the second spot for the Wasatch Back. It’s ranked No. 23 statewide.
About 70% of Midway students are proficient in math and 66% meet reading standards. That’s a 20th and 34th place state ranking for math and reading respectively.
A Park City School District school — Jeremy Ranch Elementary — is third in the Wasatch Back. The school is No. 27 in Utah.
About 75% of Jeremy Ranch students are proficient in math and 59% are proficient in reading, ranking the school 18th for math and 58th for reading.
