Deer Creek High School is under construction along state Route 113, just west of downtown Heber.
With the new high school set to open in fall 2026, the Wasatch County School District has been talking about how to divide students between Wasatch High School and Deer Creek for about a year.
That discussion was meant to come to a close Tuesday night after a public hearing. But after around 80 community members packed the meeting room to share their concerns, the board opted to delay a final boundary decision.
The boundary up for approval uses Highway 40 as a natural boundary on the south end of the valley. At Heritage Farms Parkway, the boundary continues east to the Red Ledges private community, then heads north.
Students who live east of Highway 40 would have attended Timpanogos Middle School and Wasatch High. Students to the west would have gone to Rocky Mountain Middle School and Deer Creek High.
The public’s biggest complaint was that the proposed boundary split Daniels Canyon and J.R. Smith Elementary students between the middle schools.
Wasatch High School student Rachel Ritchie said she felt like an outsider when she was split from her friends going into middle school.
“Being on the other side of the valley from my friends, it was hard to see anyone after school,” she said. “When everyone got together at each other's houses, I was never invited, because I was so far away.”
In seventh grade, Ritchie said things got so bad she pretended she was sick every day so she wouldn’t have to go to school.
Things are better now for her in high school, but Ritchie said she’s worried about her little brother, who is in fourth grade.
“I don't want to see him go through that. So if you guys could please reconsider, that would be awesome,” she said.
Parent Lindy Reioux lives in the Daniels Canyon area. She agreed splitting elementary schools is not in the best interest of the kids and worried her four children, aged 10 to 16, would struggle.
“They have developing bonds,” she said. “They're young, they're impressionable, they're doing great, and splitting this elementary school, I think, is absolutely the wrong thing going to junior high school.”
Former board member Marianne Allen lives in the Wheeler Park area. She said 99% of the area’s students would go to Wasatch High under the proposed boundary, but a handful of kids would be left out.
One solution is for students to apply to go to a preferred school that’s outside their boundary. It’s called “school choice,” although Allen said this isn’t feasible for everyone.
“Unless a parent is at home or family finances actually allow for a second or a third vehicle, the ability to get to Wasatch High is diminished if we are not in the actual boundary,” she said.
There were also concerns with safety and kids having to cross busy roads.
Along with their suggestions and concerns, many parents thanked the board and district for their efforts to choose the best boundary for the community.
After feedback from dozens of parents, students and staff, the board decided to table the boundary discussion rather than vote. It’s not immediately clear when the boundary will be up for approval again.
However, Superintendent Garrick Peterson noted the deadline to approve new boundaries is looming. For Deer Creek to have high school sports, the Utah High School Association must know how many students will attend by mid-December.
If the boundary proposal is altered significantly, another 30-day notice is required before another can be approved.
