Families at Canyons School District schools with dual-language immersion programs will need to rally at least 50 incoming first-graders by mid-January or risk losing a full two-class cohort, under a proposed enrollment rubric the board unveiled at its Tuesday, Aug. 18 meeting.

Superintendent McKay Robinson told the board the rubric is designed to give DLI schools a clear enrollment target while the district grapples with shrinking student numbers. Enrollment stood at 31,506 in the most recent school year and is projected to keep falling. A two-class cohort traditionally starts with about 56 immersion students, 28 per class, plus enough neighborhood-track students to fill a legally required general classroom of at least 19.

"The true aim of the proposal is to preserve DLI programs across CSD, even in an era of declining enrollment," Robinson said.

Some Canyons schools already fell short of that mark during the 2025-26 school year and had to drop to a single 30-student cohort. The new rubric would formalize that fallback: if fewer than 50 families commit by Jan. 15, the school shifts to one class. No vote was taken.

The district plans to open a DLI enrollment window from Sept. 30 through Dec. 15, with real-time numbers posted on the CSD website so families can track progress. A marketing campaign and a public-input portal, expected online within days of the Aug. 18 meeting, will accompany the rollout. The board said it will discuss the rubric at several more regular meetings before any final adoption.

Altara Elementary in Cottonwood Heights, which runs a Spanish-English DLI program, is among the schools affected. Principal Julie Fielding noted at the meeting that all Altara students learn a new Spanish word together each day, not just those in immersion classes.

Visitor ID policy proposed

In a separate agenda item, the board reviewed proposed updates to its school-visitor management policy. Under the plan, all district employees would scan their CSD-issued ID badge when entering and leaving any school building, and visitors would present a valid government ID at the front desk before proceeding further into campus.

Assistant Legal Counsel Jeff Christensen said the measures "protect all CSD students and help identify employees in school or District buildings in the event of an emergency." Acceptable visitor IDs would include a driver's license, passport, tribal identification card, W-2 or permanent resident card; a protocol for visitors without photo ID is also part of the proposal. The board will continue deliberating before any final vote.

Ridgecrest celebrates merged identity

The board also recognized the completed consolidation of Bella Vista and Ridgecrest elementary schools into a single 560-student campus in Cottonwood Heights, now home to a Mandarin Chinese-English DLI program. Ridgecrest unveiled a new logo and a new street sign on 7200 South dubbed Tiger Cub Lane.

Board President Amber Shill said Ridgecrest's Back-to-School Night drew such a large crowd that parking was hard to find. The merger, approved unanimously earlier in 2026, followed a "clap out" ceremony at Bella Vista marking the school's final year as a standalone campus.

The DLI enrollment window opens Sept. 30 on the Canyons District website; families can submit feedback through the forthcoming public-input portal.