Park City preschool enrollment rises as K-12 numbers fall below projections

The district is serving 217 preschoolers while introducing a unified curriculum and expanding support for multilingual learners

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City School District’s preschool enrollment has reached 217 students, a 41% increase over two years. That growth stands out as enrollment in kindergarten through 12th grade remains below projections.

The district’s official preschool enrollment grew from 154 students in 2024-25 to 208 the following year, according to a district presentation delivered to the Board of Education on Tuesday. Enrollment later reached 217 and has held at that level this year.

Current enrollment includes 88 students at Jeremy Ranch Elementary, 49 at Trailside, 44 at McPolin and 36 at Parley’s Park.

The preschool growth contrasts with the district’s older grades. TownLift reported Wednesday that PCSD has 3,956 K-12 students, 38 fewer than projected.

Kindergarten enrollment stands at 222 students, 16 below projections. District officials said smaller incoming classes could prolong the broader enrollment decline. At the same time, some secondary classrooms remain crowded as larger groups of students move through the upper grades.

The district has increasingly viewed preschool as a way to reach families earlier and create a continuous path into elementary school. Of the 95 3-year-olds enrolled last year, 81 returned for the 4-year-old program. The remaining 14 had moved out of the city, state, or country, giving the district a 100% retention rate among children who remained eligible.

The growth follows an expansion of the district’s program for 3-year-olds from two half-days to five full days per week. TownLift reported in November that the district was increasingly approaching education as a pre-K-12 system rather than beginning with kindergarten.

PCSD is implementing the Frog Street curriculum across all four elementary campuses this year. The program emphasizes language development, structured peer conversations, and play-based learning.

“It is amazing what a frog puppet can do for pre-K,” Preschool Director Missy Tschabrun told the board, referring to Fernando, a puppet used to introduce vocabulary and math concepts.

State Preschool Entry and Exit Profile results showed average benchmark scores of 85.8% in literacy and 88.3% in numeracy among the district’s 4-year-olds. The district also reported that 75% of its preschool students began kindergarten at or above benchmark on the beginning-of-year Acadience assessment.

Results were lower among multilingual learners. Of 28 multilingual 4-year-olds assessed, 17, or 61%, reached the proficient level. The remaining 11 were placed in the assessment’s two lower levels.

The district has developed a five-year plan to strengthen oral-language instruction for multilingual students. Planned steps include bilingual classroom labels, targeted small-group support, bilingual materials for families, and a coordinated transition into kindergarten.

PCSD also piloted a summer preschool program for 16 students identified as having greater instructional needs. Average daily attendance was 12 students. According to the presentation, participants improved their combined letter-sound score by 24.6% and maintained 100% mastery of counting standards.

PCSD hopes to offer separate summer classrooms for 3- and 4-year-olds next year. The preschool program receives support from the Park City Education Foundation and Vail Resorts EpicPromise.