On May 5, Canyons Board of Trustees may — or may not — make final decisions about possible merging of Granite Elementary with Quail Hollow Elementary and also, Park Lane Elementary with Willow Canyon Elementary. If approved, the consolidations would take effect in the 2027-28 school year.

Canyons School district officials say schools under consideration are experiencing both immediate and long-term enrollment declines, driven largely by Utah’s declining birth rates and rising housing costs.

The proposals have been met with concern.

At the March 19 public hearing at Park Lane, one parent said closing both Granite and Park Lane would create a “four-mile radius that wouldn't have any school for the people here.” She added closing a school “prematurely would weaken our community.”

Another parent focused on the long-term neighborhood impact.

“An empty school sitting unused for five or more years sends a troubling message that makes our area appear as though it's declining or struggling, and that perception matters,” she said. “It can discourage young families from moving into our neighborhood, which ultimately impacts the long-term health of our entire feeder system.”

Local real estate trends reinforce those concerns.

Realtor Bruce Cockrell, of Realtypath Central in Sandy, said housing prices in the Salt Lake metro area have “skyrocketed over the past six to eight years.”

“That increase in cost is not conducive to most young families being able to afford real estate in some areas,” he said. “Those families are being replaced with home buyers who are older and more established in their lives and careers and whose children may have aged out of the school system. I suspect that if the trend continues and there is less enrollment in schools and schools close, that will expedite that trend because if parents with children don't have a school to attend or they see a declining school system, they will not want to relocate to that area.”

Cockrell added limited housing turnover also is a factor.

“Those who currently own homes who have either been in their home for a while or those who have interest rates on their current home that are significantly lower than the current rates have a hard time justifying making a move,” he said.

The March 19 meeting was one of two public hearings during the 90-day public input period the board began on Jan. 20, allowing families to review the updated proposals for Sandy’s east-central area. The other hearing, held 

March 10 at Granite, where residents also voiced concerns, including those who chose the neighborhood for its walkable schools.

“When we were looking around here, people said ‘there are no kids here,’ but since moving in this area in ’21 we have seen so many families move into this area and have looked forward to our son attending Granite,” said Shannon McNeily, whose parents have lived in the area since 2012. “We moved here so he could walk to school in a safe neighborhood. He’s excited when he sees school buses; we walk to see kids going to school and he knows the crossing guards. With the proposal to close the school, it will take the heartbeat out of the neighborhood.”

Although Sandy City is adding more housing, district officials say the new developments are not located within the Granite and Park Lane boundaries. 

Canyons business administrator and CFO Leon Wilcox also pointed out: “We looked at that; we don't get a whole lot of kids from high-density apartments. We get roughly six to eight for every 100 units.”

Additionally, the board is suggesting boundary adjustments to better balance enrollment, particularly in the Jordan High feeder system. Those proposals also have been met with questions.  

“People say, ‘Why don't you look at the middle schools and high schools?’ Canyons Board of Education President Amber Shill said. “We are looking at that, especially for Eastmont (Middle School) and Jordan (High,) but that's not where we're having a problem. The problem is declining enrollment at elementary level, and that's why we're addressing that first.”

Enrollment challenges extend upward.  Eastmont Middle has about 535 students, the district’s smallest middle school.

“There's no growth around us and there's no place to have any growth,” said Eastmont Principal Stacy Kurtzhals, who added an estimated 80% of Alta View Elementary students in Eastmont’s boundary instead attend Mt. Jordan Middle to continue in the dual immersion program, further compounding the low enrollment issue. 

The pattern carries into Jordan High, which has the lowest enrollment among Canyons’ five comprehensive high schools. Shill said a boundary change 10 years ago contributed to the shift.

“What ended up hurting Jordan was when we did the boundary change in 2016; that’s when Alta (High) had the low numbers around 1,800 while Jordan and the other schools had about 2,200 at that point. So, we, the board, voted to take a section west of the freeway where it was being developed new houses, and put that to Alta. But that move, over time, ended up hurting Jordan,” she said. “Hindsight is 20/20.”

Another recurring concern is timing. Proposed east-central Sandy school rebuilds are slated for 2029 and many parents urged the board not to consolidate schools only to return students to their original campuses a few years later.

“The main message I got was, ‘if we're going to rebuild, wait to close us.’ That's what I wrote down, time and time again,” Shill said.

Parents expressed appreciation for revisions made since the 2025 proposal, particularly ensuring special education students could remain with neighborhood peers. The earlier plan, to consolidate Granite and Park Lane, was not approved, though the merger of Bella Vista and Ridgecrest, both in Cottonwood Heights, passed unanimously.

District leaders emphasize the issue goes beyond enrollment figures.

“Like many districts across the state, we're trying to navigate that declining enrollment,” said McKay Robinson, current Canyons School District assistant superintendent who will take the top job July 1. “As I continue to look at that and think about it, I keep having to remind myself this isn't simply just about numbers. It truly impacts our families and our communities and even the identity of our schools, so we have to be very mindful of that as we continue to look at the declining numbers. It's unfortunate that our birth rate is as low as it is, as well as just the cost of living makes it hard for young families to build in our community, in our neighborhoods, but we'll continue to try and look at that and remain in constant communication with our community members, listening to their feedback and looking at different options.”

Community members can continue to submit feedback comment and access updates at www.canyonsdistrict.org/boundarystudy/.