From the first sunrise on the day Canyons District was born to now, CSD schools have welcomed 28,031 bright-faced kindergartners and proudly awarded 22,426 high school diplomas.

Canyons’ teachers have imparted 18.3 million hours of instruction, cafeterias have dished up 28 million nourishing lunches, and CSD bus drivers have logged 15.7 million miles transporting students to and from school. That’s the equivalent of 630 journeys around the Earth or 66 trips to the moon, and behind the wheel for each of those miles were drivers trained to shoulder the responsibility of safely transporting students to learning environments where they’re encouraged to reach for the stars. 

Canyons, the first school district to be created in Utah in 100 years, is a community of many talents–and behind every student achievement and success story are parents, faculty, staff, and community partners selflessly sharing those talents to enrich the lives of children. July 1, 2019 marks a decade of distinction for the District, and the Canyons community is celebrating with free hot dogs and cake from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sandy Amphitheater splash park, 1245 E. 9400 South. This is a free public event for the whole family.

“This District simply wouldn’t exist without the community’s support,” says Superintendent Dr. Jim Briscoe. “This is but a small token of thanks for all the people who make Canyons such a wonderful place to live, learn and work.”

A decade may not seem long, considering some of the schools within Canyons’ boundaries have celebrated 50^th and 60^th anniversaries this year. But a lot can happen in 10 years.

Canyons came into being through a vote by residents in five Salt Lake County municipalities who sought a school a district that was responsive to the community, emphasized career-and college-readiness, embraced innovation, and prioritized customer service. The year the District opened, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American President. The country was just emerging from the Great Recession, and a technological transformation was afoot, driven largely by the Internet and other advances in communication technologies.

Since its first day of operations, Canyons’ employees and the Board of Education have kept the revolutionary vision of those voters at the heart of everything the District does. With a laser-like focus on helping each student become career-and college-ready, the District has been breaking barriers, raising the bar, and setting new standards for public education. It’s through the caliber of Canyons’ teachers, the discipline of students and the uncommon levels of community support that Canyons schools enjoy that the entire community rises to new heights in education.

A Decade of Distinction – By the Numbers

• Canyons’ five traditional high schools have staged more than 50 fall musicals, cheered 43 team state sports championships, and prepared graduates for roughly $300 million in college scholarship offers.
• Seven new schools and special programs have come into being.
• The Board of Education has approved some kind of employee compensation increase every year of the District’s existence, including a proposal this year to bring the starting teacher pay to $50,000.
• The Canyons Education Foundation has fueled teachers’ ideas for improving instruction through the award of $708,000 in Innovation Grants.
• Canyons’ students have outpaced their peers on year-end tests, in some cases by as many as 13 percentage points.
• Canyons’ graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 89 percent.
• With two, tax-neutral voter-approved bonds, we have built, rebuilt or renovated 13 schools with plans for major upgrades to eight more–all while maintaining the Canyons’ AAA bond rating.
• Canyons has welcomed the contributions of 126,000 volunteers in our classrooms.