Three Canyons School District elementary schools could lose a dual-language immersion class next year if fewer than 50 students commit to the program.

Families enrolled in DLI programs have until Friday, Sept. 4, to complete a three-question survey about the program's future. The district, which serves Cottonwood Heights and Holladay, released the survey to gather input as the board weighs a new enrollment-based rubric for deciding how many immersion classes each school can sustain.

Superintendent McKay Robinson presented updated kindergarten enrollment numbers at the board's meeting Tuesday, Sept. 1, showing that three schools fell below the threshold needed to keep two DLI classes under the proposed rubric. The district did not identify which three schools are at risk.

Canyons operates Spanish DLI programs at Alta View, Altara, Midvalley, Silver Mesa and Midvale elementary schools, and French DLI at Butler and Oak Hollow.

What the numbers mean

Under the proposed rubric, a school needs at least 50 students committed to DLI by Jan. 15, 2027, plus at least 19 students in the neighborhood general-education classroom, to keep a two-class cohort of about 56 immersion students. Schools that fall short would drop to a single class of 30.

Some Canyons schools last year did not have enough incoming first-graders to sustain two DLI classes and were moved to one cohort for budget reasons, according to the district. Districtwide, the DLI program cost $1.43 million for 13 supplemental full-time-equivalent teaching positions in the 2025-2026 school year, according to official board minutes.

"The goal with these benchmarks is to be transparent and help families know what to expect well before the start of a new school year," Robinson said in an Aug. 20 district news release announcing the proposal.

The board has not taken a final vote on the rubric. Long-term options still under consideration include adjusting school boundaries, developing DLI-only magnet schools that draw students from a larger area, or consolidating programs, according to the district's Aug. 20 news release.

Board approves visitor ID policy

At the same meeting, the board formally approved a new visitor-management policy requiring anyone entering a Canyons school during instructional hours to present a valid government-issued ID at the front office. Accepted forms include a state driver's license, passport, military ID, tribal identification card and several others.

Visitors who cannot produce ID may be required to have a school staff member accompany them in areas where students are present, consistent with new state law. Assistant Legal Counsel Jeffrey Christensen said the policy addresses knowing who is on campus during school hours, according to the board summary.

What's next

The DLI enrollment application window opens Wednesday, Sept. 30, and runs through Tuesday, Dec. 15. Families will be able to track their school's enrollment numbers on the Canyons district website throughout that period.