TSD leaders say the issue at hand is a significant enrollment decline within the district boundaries caused by declining birth rates, housing affordability and increasing school-choice options.

The district will begin serving public schools in Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Orem and Vineyard beginning in the 2027-28 school year, following the dissolution of the Alpine School District.

The board plans to evaluate 10 elementary schools, with the potential of closing three to five schools, according to a news release. In addition, three junior high schools will be evaluated, with the possibility of consolidating one. No final decision has been made, the district said.

The board agenda lists a school closure study and notice for the following elementary schools: Aspen, Bonneville, Foothill, Lindon, Northridge, Orchard, Orem, Parkside, Rocky Mountain, Windsor; and the following junior highs: Canyon View, Oak Canyon and Orem.

A special enrollment program study and notice is also listed for the closure or relocation of the Cascade Elementary Chinese Dual-Language Immersion program and the closure or relocation of the Cherry Hill Elementary Spanish Dual-Language Immersion program. 

The board study session will start at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Alpine School District Special Education Office in Lindon. A board public meeting and vote will follow at 6 p.m.

“We recognize that discussions around school boundaries and consolidations naturally bring anxiety and uncertainty to the families in our district,” Board President Jen Lyman said in a news release. “We want our community to know that a few of us on the board have lived through consolidations and closures. We know how hard it can be and we know how great it can be on the other side. We are fully committed to listening to parents, teachers, families and others as we evaluate different options and determine what will be best for our kids and our community.”

The district said in a public letter last month that the elementary enrollment across the four cities is almost identical to what it was in 1980, and that projections indicate 15 of the district’s 20 elementary schools would be outside the size ranges identified in its “Robust School Criteria” by 2030.

“Doing nothing is also a decision, and it could mean increasingly small schools with fewer opportunities for students and increasing costs per pupil in those schools. And, to be clear, smaller schools do not mean smaller class size,” the letter said.

The enrollment trends in what is currently the south part of the Alpine School District stand in contrast to what is happening in other areas of the district, particularly in the west. 

The Lake Mountain School District, which will cover Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Cedar Fort and Fairfield, had developed a 15-year capital plan based on projected growth, which anticipates needing to construct 17 schools within that time frame, according to a July 9 work session.