Facing immediate and projected long-term declining student enrollment, Canyons School District is continuing its districtwide long-range study that includes possible boundary changes and proposed school consolidations east of 1300 East in Sandy. 

District leaders say the process is focused on preserving feeder systems, maintaining academic opportunities and planning responsibly for the future as student numbers continue to dip.

Utah’s declining birth rates and rising housing costs have contributed to shrinking elementary enrollments in many parts of the district. District officials say Canyons has fewer students this year and is expected to have a dip in enrollment in future years.

Karen Pedersen, a member of the Canyons Board of Education and its Long-Range Planning Committee, said it’s a matter of simple math.

“Take the kindergarten class going in and subtract it from the class graduating, and you can see where the problem is. When the graduating class is larger than the incoming kindergarten class, our numbers are fewer and that’s going to create long-term sustainability challenges,” she said. 

After the school board members decided to study below-capacity elementary schools in spring 2025, they’ve researched facilities and met with communities and city leaders. In September 2025, the committee made recommendations which were discussed at meetings and public hearings last fall. 

In December, the Board unanimously approved the merger of Bella Vista Elementary and Ridgecrest Elementary in Cottonwood Heights for next school year, creating a school of about 600 elementary students at Ridgecrest. Bella Vista’s special education students will move to Brookwood Elementary in Sandy.

However, the 2025 proposals for Sandy schools were not approved.

At the Jan. 20, 2026 board meeting, two new proposals for Sandy schools were introduced.

“We restarted last board meeting, the whole process, so we have 90 days to make a decision, which puts us in the end of April, first part of May, to decide whether we’re going to combine those schools or not,” Pedersen said.

Proposal A would combine Granite Elementary and Quail Hollow Elementary at the Quail Hollow building, while shifting a section of Granite’s southeastern boundary to Lone Peak Elementary. The Granite-Quail Hollow school would have about 555 students.

Proposal B would consolidate Park Lane Elementary with Willow Canyon Elementary to form a school of 580 students at the Willow Canyon campus. 

These proposals, which would begin in the 2027-28 school year, are intended to strengthen middle and high school feeder patterns and avoid enrollment issues at those schools.

“We’re trying to look at all the boundaries and see if we can shift them to help our middles and highs so they don’t run into problems down the road,” Pedersen said.

Pedersen said Willow Canyon and Park Lane are currently the primary elementary schools feeding into the Eastmont Middle-Jordan High feeder system.

“Eastmont does an absolute fantastic job of getting students they’re supposed to have, but they have 1,000 less students boundaried for their school compared to other (Canyons) middle schools,” she said.

Under Proposal B, Park Lane students would move to Willow Canyon, which is geographically closer to Eastmont, strengthening the Jordan feeder system; Jordan High has the fewest students in Canyons’ comprehensive high schools.

Granite-Quail Hollow students would follow the Albion Middle and Brighton High feeder.

The new proposals keep Granite and Park Lane special education students with their neighborhood peers although Quail Hollow’s students in Academic Behavioral Support program and impacted schools’ preschools would relocate to other facilities yet to be named.

Pedersen said none of the proposed vacated schools are slated for sale.

“We have no intention to sell any of these buildings; as of right now, we haven’t decided what to do with these schools,” she said in late January.

Public hearings are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at Granite Elementary, 9760 S. 3100 East, and Thursday, March 19 at Park Lane Elemenary, 9955 S. 2300 East. Both will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Feedback gathered during the 90-day period will help shape final recommendations and decisions, which also could include boundary adjustments for other parts of the district, Pedersen said and added that current and additional information is available at: www.canyonsdistrict.org/boundarystudy/