Many Wasatch County School District students are thinking about where they want to go to class next year: Wasatch High or the new Deer Creek High.
And with new school boundaries just set in November, district leaders will give them two opportunities to decide.
The first window for open enrollment — also known as school choice — is currently open and will close Dec. 5. A second chance to apply will come in February, the Board of Education said during its work session Tuesday.
Superintendent Garrick Peterson said the second period is for students who want more information before they decide which school they want to attend. That includes knowing where teachers and administrators will be next year.
Teacher team leads for both Wasatch and Deer Creek will be decided in December, he said.
“In our model, you really rely on team leads within a department to make sure that the department operates at a certain level,” Peterson said. “They lead the process that helps us come up with our rigor, the standards that we’re upholding in each course.”
The rest of teacher assignments will be determined beginning in February. Peterson said teachers had the opportunity to identify a preferred school, but most said they would go where they’re needed.
The second round of open enrollment will close April 5. Teaching assignments, activity schedules and a master schedule of classes will also be finalised in April.
The work establishing which school teachers and students will attend is part of broader efforts to have Deer Creek ready to open in fall 2026. Peterson emphasised the goal is to ensure both schools have the same high academic standards and programs.
“Another underlying aim is that the quality remains the same,” he said. “The standards are there, the assessments are there, the rigor levels are there, the supports are there.”
To facilitate that goal, Peterson said leaders from both high schools will work together throughout next year.
