The saying goes, “winning is a state of mind.” Here in the Canyons School District, our high schools are taking winning to a whole new level. Newly published rankings by U.S. News and World Report show Canyons high schools are coming out on top.
CSD high schools claim five of the top dozen spots when compared to traditional high schools in the Salt Lake Valley, according to the 2023-2024 rankings.
In rating schools, the report weighs six factors:
- College Readiness – 30 percent
- State Assessment Proficiency – 20 percent
- State Assessment Proficiency – 20 percent
- Underserved Student Performance – 10 percent
- College Curriculum Breadth – 10 percent
- Graduation Rate – 10 percent
U.S. News and World Report hasn’t released its 2023-2024 rankings for elementary and middle schools. But CSD students in grades 3-8 this year, again, outpaced their Utah peers on year-end RISE scores.
“The great performance of our high schools builds on the foundation set by our elementary and middle schools, which did a tremendous job in proficiency and growth on the RISE tests last year,” said Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins. “We couldn’t be prouder of our motivated students and our dedicated teachers and support staff.”
Among CSD’s high schools, Corner Canyon topped the charts, placing third in the Salt Lake Metro area and fifth among the 227 Utah high schools ranked by U.S. News. Corner Canyon boasts a graduation rate of 93 percent.
All five Canyons high schools are among the top 90 schools in Utah. Four of them are in the top 30, including Hillcrest High School, which ranked 27th in the state with a graduation rate of 84 percent. This achievement by the Huskies is made all the more remarkable considering 39 percent of the school’s 2,100 students are economically disadvantaged, a rate higher than found in any other top-30 Utah high school. Many Hillcrest students also face the extra challenge of learning English while earning enough credits to graduate.
The U.S. News and World Report rankings come after Public School Review announced Canyons as the No. 1 school district in Utah, based on test scores. Canyons also was rated No. 1 in Salt Lake County by Niche.com.
