The Park City School District Board of Education has decided to open enrollment at all of its schools for the 2026-2027 school year.
The district said Tuesday it’s to combat a continued decline in overall enrollment, seen statewide, after opening enrollment for kindergarten through fifth grade last year.
Open enrollment is typically driven by a school’s capacity: the number of classrooms multiplied by the district’s average class size.
In Park City, elementary classrooms have around 18 students, while secondary classrooms have about 20.
Business Administrator Randy Upton said if the district increases its average class size to 23 and 25 respectively, it has room for hundreds more students. Based on the classroom-to-class size ratio, there are almost 400 spots available for elementary age students, 250 spots at Ecker and 225 at Park City High.
But Upton said it's unlikely the district would add that many students. The board will determine a more concrete number after early open enrollment closes Feb. 1.
“Adding these full amounts into the school also creates situations where we may need more staff,” he said. “We’d reassess at Feb. 1 and say, ‘How many students do we have that are applying? Where does that leave us?”
The district said families will be notified in March if their student is accepted.
Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said students accepted from outside the boundaries have to apply again when changing schools. For example, children transitioning from elementary to middle school would go through open enrollment again.
“We had a handful of families when we opened K-5 ask, ‘When are you going to open your secondary schools?’” Huntsman said. “So, we know we have families waiting for this decision.”
Huntsman said the district is also trying to bring back students who have gone to the valley to attend charter schools.
