Population and Boundary Study

The student population of the Salt Lake City School District, like districts around the state and country, is decreasing. The district’s elementary school enrollment has dropped nearly 30% over the last eight years, from 12,431 students in 2014 to 9,602 students in October 2022. This has left us with a number of elementary schools that are very small. When an elementary school is too small it is less effective and less efficient.

The district is currently considering boundary changes and school closures. We recognize this process is difficult on students, families, communities, as well as on educators and staff. Our schools mean a great deal to our city and our community, as demonstrated by the many comments we’ve received and the fervent support of many parents and community members for their neighborhood schools. Community input in support of schools has been, and will continue to be, an important part of our deliberation, even as the decision was made to move forward with further study of these seven schools.

As a district, we have not closed schools for more than two decades. The consistent drop in our city’s school-age population now requires us to study multiple schools for potential closure, which makes this process even more difficult. Our aim is to make the best decisions possible to serve the academic needs of our students and to meet our financial responsibilities. Moving forward, we will annually review the organization and configuration of district schools, as outlined in Board Policy G-5, and make recommendations to the Board for possible adjustments.

The Board and district are committed to providing students with access to high-quality district programs and opportunities that will develop their full potential. To honor this commitment, we are looking at “right-sizing” our elementary schools to create the best learning design and educational environment for our students.

A right-sized elementary school offers about three teachers per grade level and can provide full- day kindergarten classes and possibly PreK classes to meet the needs of neighborhood families. This enables schools to provide a variety of options for students at each grade level and increases opportunities for teachers to collaborate to support and enrich student learning across the grade level.

There are many benefits of right-sized elementary schools. With at least three teachers per grade level, we can:

• Increase within-school choices for students and families
• Increase the availability of special focus programs, such as dual language immersion
• Reduce the number of unintended split-age/multi-grade classrooms
• Increase collaboration for teachers during professional learning opportunities

Special programs, including dual language immersion and ELP magnet programs are district programs. In the event that a school that currently hosts one of these programs closes, the district will move that program to a different school after careful consideration and input from community members. Students enrolled in a special program will be able to continue participating in that program in its new location.

While we won’t have a final decision for a few more months, district leaders have already begun planning what a possible transition process may look like. The closing of any of our schools or realigning of school boundaries will mean changes for families across the district. We are mindful of this and want to make the transition as easy as possible for students, families, and staff. We won’t be able to finalize any necessary plans until after a final vote, but we are working on the components necessary to implement an effective communications plan, to manage changes in our staffing if the number of elementary schools in our district changes, and to bring school communities together this spring in preparation for the blending and creation of new elementary school communities next fall.

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