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Board hears in‑depth study on possible closure of Innovations early‑college high school after steep enrollment decline
Summary
District staff presented an in-depth study on Oct. 7 examining whether Innovations Early College High School is serving its intended purpose; enrollment has fallen from 429 in 2017 to about 95 in 2025, and staff recommended further study and transition planning for students should the board decide to close the site.
Salt Lake City School District staff presented an in‑depth study on Oct. 7 examining whether Innovations Early College High School is meeting its original early‑college mission and whether the site is fiscally sustainable.
Brian Conley, the district’s boundary and planning director, reviewed the study timeline and said the school opened in 2012 to combine blended learning and concurrent enrollment so students could earn high school and college credit. Conley told the board Innovations enrolled about 429 students in 2017 and about 95 students in 2025, a decline that limits staffing and on‑site course options.
Conley said Innovations has not developed concurrent enrollment as a central feature and that blended learning practices the school pioneered are now widely available in other district schools. Staff identified expanded concurrent enrollment options at other high schools and reduced on‑campus course access at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) as factors that limited Innovations’ ability to sustain the original model.
Superintendent Kristen (Doctor) Grant and other district leaders told the board they had not prepared individual transition plans for each student at the time of the Oct. 7 update but described approaches staff would use if the board requested closure options. Grant said about 51 of the 95 students were freshmen through juniors who would need a transition plan. She suggested counselors or a designated staff member could work with families to ensure students stay on track toward graduation.
Board members asked whether the program model could be relocated as a specialty program inside a comprehensive high school; district leaders said they do not see a replicable program model that warrants moving the Innovations model wholesale, but they would work to place supports for students in other settings if the site closes.
The district will collect written public comments through Nov. 12 and hold a public hearing ahead of a possible board vote on Nov. 18. Staff said community input and the full in‑depth study — posted in the board packet — will inform any recommendation to the board.
Ending — What’s next
Staff continue the in‑depth study and will gather written comments through Nov. 12, hold a public hearing and return to the board with a recommendation and transition plans ahead of a Nov. 18 vote.
