Canyons School District plans to end first semester before winter break starting in the 2027-28 school year. A district survey of roughly 5,000 people showed broad support for the shift.

The change, announced at the Board of Education's Oct. 6 meeting, means students at Alta High and other Canyons campuses serving Cottonwood Heights families would finish fall finals before the holiday break rather than returning in January to complete them. Brighton High, which operates on a trimester schedule, was excluded from the semester question.

Human Resources Director Tiffany Midgley told the board that "65.8 percent of all respondents said they would prefer first semester to end immediately before the start of Winter Recess." Once the 2027-28 calendar is confirmed, the district plans to present formal proposals for the 2028-29 and tentative 2029-30 calendars.

The survey also asked about block scheduling. Of respondents, 44.4 percent preferred a fixed A/B schedule, 26.4 percent a rotating one and 29.2 percent had no preference. Parents leaned toward the fixed schedule; students were nearly evenly split.

Enrollment decline

At the same meeting, Business Administrator Leon Wilcox reported that Canyons now enrolls 30,365 students, down 2,566 from the 2022-23 school year. Wilcox attributed the drop to falling birth rates across Utah and the nation.

Statewide, public school enrollment fell from roughly 675,000 in 2022 to approximately 661,000 in 2026, according to data Wilcox presented. If the trend holds, Utah schools could serve about 577,000 students within a decade.

In April, when the district was weighing proposed elementary mergers, Superintendent McKay Robinson said the decline "isn't simply just about numbers. It truly impacts our families and our communities and even the identity of our schools."

Demographic study on the table

To get a clearer picture, the district is considering hiring MGT Impact Solutions, a Tampa, Fla.-based consulting firm identified through a competitive process. If retained, MGT would conduct a 10-year study that could inform decisions on school boundaries, consolidations, facility uses and construction projects. The district's Long-Range Planning Committee is evaluating the proposal. No contract has been finalized.

Two large residential developments could partially offset the enrollment slide. Proposed housing at The Point, the former state prison site in Draper, calls for 840 units with construction starting in 2027. Wilcox estimated those homes could bring about 200 new students to the district. A separate Miller Group proposal near Jordan Commons and America First Field in Sandy envisions roughly 700 units, mostly one- and two-bedroom, with full buildout taking eight to 10 years.

The Long-Range Planning Committee is scheduled to meet Friday, Oct. 9, to review those development plans and current enrollment figures.