Canyons Punches Above its Weight, Claiming Largest Share of ‘Top 5’ K-8 Schools

Canyons District is home to a disproportionate share of Utah’s top-ranked schools.

Twenty-four of CSD’s K-8 schools topped the charts in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, earning “Best Schools” badges for display on their websites.

Two Canyons elementary schools are in Utah’s top five and eight are in the state’s top 25. In addition, three CSD middle schools are in Utah’s top five, according to the 2025 rankings.

To put that in context, Canyons is home to just 4.5 percent of Utah’s elementary schools and 4.4 percent of the state’s middle schools. But the District accounts for 40 percent of Utah’s top five elementary schools and 60 percent of the state’s top five middle schools.

In this regard, Canyons stands alone, which is perhaps why our schools continue to be a draw for families.

While K-12 enrollment is falling statewide, due to a sharp decline in the Utah’s birth rate and soaring housing costs, Canyons District is capturing an increasingly larger share of the school-aged children who live in the District. In 2023-2024, the District’s capture rate grew to 77 percent, up from 73 percent in 2022-2023.

“Public education is the first choice for most Utahns, and it’s no coincidence that the strength of our great state flows from the strength of our schools,” said Canyons Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins.

U.S. News & World Report rates Utah the “best state” in the country based on its high scores in education, the economy, infrastructure, and fiscal stability. In education, Utah ranks No. 2 nationally based on the performance of its K12 schools and higher education system.

In rating schools, U.S. News and World Report looks at test scores. Schools are assessed on their share of students who were proficient or above proficient in their math and reading and language arts assessments. Half of the formula looks at the raw scores while the other half weighted test scores within the context of a school’s socioeconomic demographics.

“In other words,” as explained in the methodology, “the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students.”