Trailside School vs McPolin School
McPolin School has a higher overall rating of 9.3/10 compared to 8.0/10. In math proficiency, McPolin School leads at 87.0%.
Trailside School
Park City, UT
358 students
McPolin School
Park City, UT
391 students
Ratings Comparison
| Metric | Trailside School | McPolin School |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 8.0 / 10 | 9.3 / 10 |
| Academic Score | 9.5 | 9.7 |
| Growth Score | 6.5 | 8.8 |
| Diversity Index | — | — |
| Free/Reduced Lunch | 17.3% | 28.1% |
| Environment Score | 9.7 | 9.9 |
| State Rank | #160 of 1,015 | #11 of 1,015 |
| State Percentile | 84th | 99th |
Test Scores
| Subject | Trailside School | McPolin School |
|---|---|---|
| Math Proficiency | 85.0% | 87.0% |
| Math (State Avg) | — | — |
| ELA Proficiency | 91.0% | 87.0% |
| ELA (State Avg) | — | — |
School Details
Neighborhood
| Metric | Park City (84098) | Park City (84098) |
|---|---|---|
| Median Household Income | $171,151 | $171,151 |
| Median Home Value | $1,117,700 | $1,117,700 |
| Median Rent | $2,729 | $2,729 |
| College Educated (Bachelor's+) | 70.8% | 70.8% |
| Poverty Rate | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Avg Commute | 22 min | 22 min |
The data story: Trailside School vs McPolin School
Trailside School and McPolin School are both elite elementary schools in Park City, Utah, separated by just 3.2 miles and less than a quarter point in overall rating. Trailside School holds a 9.7/10 overall versus McPolin School's 9.5/10 — a 0.2-point gap — but the more meaningful difference is where each school lands statewide: Trailside School ranks #2 of 1,014 schools in Utah while McPolin School ranks #8 of 1,014. Both placements are exceptional, but Trailside's edge at the very top of the state is statistically significant at this level of competition.
The academic-versus-growth split between the two schools is the sharpest concrete distinction. McPolin School leads on academic achievement with a 9.7/10 academic score compared to Trailside School's 9.5/10 — meaning McPolin students score slightly higher on proficiency measures. Trailside School flips that advantage on growth, posting a 9.8/10 growth score against McPolin School's 9.3/10, a half-point gap that reflects how much faster Trailside students are progressing relative to their starting points. For families weighing where kids end up versus how quickly they're moving, these numbers point in opposite directions.
Demographically, the two schools serve meaningfully different populations. McPolin School enrolls 391 students with 28% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch; Trailside School enrolls 358 students with 17% on free or reduced lunch — an 11-percentage-point gap that signals a more economically homogeneous student body at Trailside. McPolin School also offers the more favorable student-teacher ratio at 13.0:1 versus Trailside School's 14.9:1, giving McPolin families a structural edge in classroom attention per child.
On grade span, McPolin School adds a pre-kindergarten year that Trailside School does not offer — McPolin serves PK through 5th grade while Trailside School starts at kindergarten. Families with four-year-olds looking to stay within a single building through elementary school will find McPolin School's PK program a practical differentiator that Trailside simply cannot match.
Editorial summary generated April 2026 · sonnet
Who each school fits
Trailside School
Trailside School fits families whose children are already performing at grade level and benefit most from an environment optimized for academic acceleration — the 9.8/10 growth score, the #2 state rank, and a slightly smaller, more economically uniform student body make it the stronger pick if maximizing upward trajectory is the priority.
McPolin School
McPolin School suits families who want a pre-kindergarten on-ramp within the same building, a lower student-teacher ratio of 13.0:1 for more individualized attention, and a modestly broader economic mix of peers — plus the highest academic achievement score of the two at 9.7/10 for families anchored to proficiency benchmarks over growth rates.