Park City schools add 195 students through open enrollment; McPolin, PCHS lead intake

Park City School District office. Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City School District added 195 students through open enrollment this year, led by 58 at Park City High School and 54 at McPolin Elementary, Executive Director of Student Services Carolyn Synan told the Board of Education on Tuesday. Reviews began June 30 and continue every Monday after the window opened June 23 at 8 a.m.

District figures show Ecker Hill Middle enrolled 32 students through the process. At the elementary schools, Jeremy Ranch added 22, Parley’s Park 17, and Trailside 12.

Synan said demand was front-loaded: 30 applications were already in queue before the special period began. During the special period, the district logged 91 new applications; 10 families later declined spots, and 16 applications were denied.

Capacity remains across the elementary schools, particularly at McPolin, which operates as a school-wide dual language immersion (DLI) program. The structure provides the campus with more sections at each grade level than the district’s other three elementary schools, which offer traditional and DLI tracks side by side.

Board members asked whether new applicants were entering DLI programs or opting for English-only classrooms. Synan said most families followed the traditional track, but some chose immersion, including a family relocating from a French immersion school out of state.

The conversation also touched on after-school care, where waitlists have been a barrier. District leaders said they recently expanded capacity by moving more students off the waiting list, a step they hope will reduce pressure on families considering transfers.

Even with new approvals, over 200 elementary school seats remain open. Synan emphasized that enrollment reviews will continue each Monday, and numbers could shift throughout the year. “We’d love to keep monitoring this and see how that changes,” she said, “and understand what we can do to fill some of those spaces.”

The board signaled interest in following enrollment trends more closely, especially at McPolin, where proximity to South Summit and Wasatch districts also factors into family decisions. “I’d love to keep monitoring this and see how that changes,” Vice President Nicholas Hill noted.

For now, district leaders say the process is stable and transparent, although it is still evolving. “Applications are still coming in,” Synan said. “We want families to know there are still spaces available.”