Canyons board advances boundary proposals amid districtwide enrollment decline; more hearings set

CANYONS SCHOOL DISTRICT — At a Nov. 11 board meeting, the Canyons School District’s long‑range planning committee presented second‑reading proposals to consolidate several elementary schools and adjust attendance boundaries in response to sustained enrollment declines.

Business administrator Leon Wilcox told the board the state’s October 1 counts show continuing drops and that the district has fallen from roughly 34,000 students in pre‑COVID years to about 31,500 now. “We we dropped about 10, 11,000 students this past year,” Wilcox said, summarizing statewide and local trends and urging the board to consider consolidations to maintain grade‑level staffing and program offerings.

The committee laid out two principal plans. Proposal A would consolidate Bella Vista and Ridgecrest into the Ridgecrest building and move a small Ridgecrest section (about 100 students) to East Midvale, producing an estimated combined elementary enrollment of about 600 students and average class sizes near 24. Wilcox said preschool and ABS (special‑education early‑childhood) placements for affected students remain unresolved and will be studied further.

Proposal B would combine Park Lane and Willow Canyon into the Willow Canyon building for the 2027–28 school year, with a projected combined enrollment of roughly 580 students (about 535 general‑education and 45 ACC seats). The district flagged traffic, parking and busing as issues to be studied before implementation.

Wilcox told the board the proposals are being treated as second readings with a possible action on Dec. 2, 2025, and that the district would open a new public‑input window of at least 90 days beginning that night, with additional public hearings planned in January and February. He also said the district must provide at least 30 days’ public notice under district code before those hearings.

Board members said they welcomed more public input but split on the substance of the proposals. “Turning to the East Central Region, I have more reservations,” said Mister Edel, a board member, warning that the revised proposals could limit options for longer‑term realignment of Eastmont and Jordan feeder systems. Other board members praised the slower pace and emphasized the district needs a holistic look at secondary feeders and special‑education placements.

Next steps: the board will accept public comment in January and February, and Wilcox said the administration will return with more detailed placement plans for preschool and ABS units. The board indicated it will take a vote on the proposals at the Dec. 2 meeting if adequate procedural notices and follow‑up materials are provided.

Quotes in this article are taken from board meeting remarks on Nov. 11, 2025.