Navigating School Choice in Salt Lake City

If we had to go back to Indian Hills, we would. We enjoyed walking to school with neighbors and friends. There were great teachers and involved parents. That being said, it would be hard to give up the opportunities my children have at McGillis: a strong Jewish community, smaller class sizes, second language opportunities, and extracurricular acitivities including camping and community-service field trips. Their after care program was also a much better fit for our work schedule.

I attended private schools growing up and I’m a big proponent of public schools! I think you should go to the school you are zoned for: it builds community and you get to know your neighbors. Before we moved to Salt Lake my husband, Jim, thoroughly researched all the public schools in Salt Lake. We narrowed our home search down to homes in the Bonneville and Uintah Elementary boundaries. I love Bonneville so far—great teachers and amazing parent involvement. I help out in the classroom whenever I can; but really, there are so many involved parents here that I do much less than I did in our last school.

My advice would be to start with the school where other kids on the block are going. If the neighborhood school doesn’t work out, it’s not traumatizing to try something different. Kids are more flexible than we think. Salt Lake has great school-choice options: public charters (such as magnet gifted programs and arts schools) and private schools; it’s really hard to go wrong.

I’m a huge believer in neighborhood schools and you will find the public schools in Salt Lake are better than you could have expected. Bonneville Elementary and Clayton Middle School have strong, well-supported PTAs and top-notch administrators and teachers. East High School, with its diverse student body, is rich in tradition with many opportunities for students to serve and lead. School choice can be a double edged sword; it’s hard to know if you are leaving one set of challenges to face another. If you’re on the fence, I recommend trying your neighborhood school first.

Our experience at Bonneville Elementary was very positive but I ended up moving our children to Carden seeking a more classical, non-denominational Christian education: a focus on literature, poetry, U.S. history, with a prayer and bible study component. My two oldest attended East High School after graduating from Carden and they both had positive experiences; attending an inner-city school provided them valuable real-world experiences. Our other son chose to attend Skyline; it seemed a better fit for his artistic and academic interests. My experience with school choice is one school is never better than another, rather different; and different children have different needs. My advice is to do what feels right for your family and child. We live in such an amazing neighborhood—you will make connections and find a community no matter where your kids go to school!

My mom served for many years on the Salt Lake City School District Board and taught in public school before having kids. I have great respect for the public education system in Salt Lake and would highly recommend our neighborhood schools to anyone moving here. That being said, we chose Carden for its smaller class sizes and the way they meet the individual needs of its students. We are lucky to have such great private school options and public school options in Salt Lake.

I have four children at four different schools, and I’ll be the first one to tell you that I never wanted this! But I’m a proponent of including children in their school-choice decisions and empowering them to set the course of their education. My oldest daughter is clear minded and on track to attend medical school; Judge Memorial has been the perfect fit for her with its small class sizes, rigorous curriculum and aggressive college admissions and scholarship placement program. My second son is at Skyline and while he’s been challenged by their IB program, he misses some of his neighborhood friends; he might choose to transfer back to East High School. I have another daughter at Wasatch Junior High. She chose the school for its strong academics and because it’s where most of her dance team friends go to school. My youngest attends Bonneville Elementary—and who wouldn’t love Bonneville! They have the best teachers and parents; it would be hard to justify spending money at another elementary school unless there was a strong affinity for a parochial education.

“Early Light academy was our first choice for schools for two major reasons. The first major reason was the proximity to our home. Secondly, we wanted a school where we had more parental involvement. We have since fallen in love with all the staff and teachers at ELA. We feel like it’s the kids home away from home and feel safe recommending this school to anyone researching their options.”

“We chose to enroll our kids at Golden Fields Elementary, Mountain Creek Middle and Herriman High. We have been very impressed with the leadership at each school and the administration’s holistic approach to education. All three schools have shown an exceptional ability to adjust learning plans to each of our children’s needs and interests.”

“There are many options around our home to send our children to school.  We chose ELA years ago due to the performing arts and history programs and especially the culture they have fostered as a charter school.  We feel like we are part of a family there.  

Our oldest child now goes to MCMS (public middle school) and we are thrilled with their care and attention to detail for the challenge that is middle school.  Very grateful for so many wonderful choices so close to our home.”