Background

• Historic community cornerstone: Eastwood Elementary has served the East Millcreek and Emigration Canyon communities since 1959.

• PAC study: In February 2025, Granite School District’s Population Analysis Committee (PAC) reviewed ten east side (Area 5) elementary schools for possible closures or boundary changes.

• PAC recommendation: On September 2, 2025, the PAC recommended closing Eastwood and merging its boundary with Oakridge Elementary.

• Community response: In the absence of a comprehensive plan, supporting data, and clear alternatives, the SOS Eastwood Advocacy Group was formed to collect independent data, assess PAC claims, and ensure decisions are guided by verified evidence, safe routes, and equitable policies.

• Data sources: The group’s findings include community-collected evidence, district presentations, safety audits, parent survey data, official statements, and quantitative and qualitative data from September–October 2025.

Excellence in Education

• Ranked #3 in Granite School District

• Ranked Top 10 elementary school in Utah

• Top-Tier STEM excellence, Gold School

  • One of only four elementary schools in Utah—and the only east side (Area 5) school—recognized by the Utah STEM Action Center for fully integrating engineering, robotics, and coding across grades K–5.

  • Eastwood is a member of the 2024 CS4All cohort.

  • Gold STEM at risk. Eastwood’s exceptional designation won’t transfer to Oakridge if the school closes—erasing a point of pride and a vital STEM resource for the community. The Utah STEM Action Center confirmed (9.25.25), that Eastwood’s Gold status would not continue if the school ceases to exist.

Community Strength

• Serves a large, diverse geographical boundary, including:

  • Neighborhood families in Millcreek

  • Students from Emigration Canyon

• Strong record of community involvement and parent engagement.

• High levels of school spirit, with families dedicated to Eastwood’s success.

Student Population

• A mix of neighborhood students and out-of-boundary students who choose Eastwood for its reputation of excellence.

• Graduates continue on to local junior highs and high schools well-prepared for advanced learning.

Why Eastwood Matters

Eastwood is not just a school—it’s a community anchor. Families across Millcreek, Emigration Canyon and beyond choose Eastwood because of:

• Academic excellence

• Safe and supportive environment

• Commitment to STEAM and innovation

• Strong neighborhood identity

A Historically Unprecedented Proposal

The current PAC recommendation (9.2.25) to close Eastwood Elementary is markedly different from previous school closures. Eastwood, located at the base of the mountains in Millcreek and serving the Emigration Canyon area, is separated from its nearest Granite District elementary, Oakridge, by about 2 miles—and by Millcreek Canyon, a prominent geographic barrier.

In the past decade, all Granite elementary closures involved schools located immediately adjacent to another school (roughly 1–1.5 miles or less apart), allowing for relatively smooth transitions within the neighborhood.

Closing Eastwood would instead require students to travel at least 2 miles and cross the canyon—an unprecedented combination of distance and geography for an elementary closure in Granite District.

Risk of Further Enrollment Loss (Exodus Scenario)

Closing Eastwood risks losing families. Many Eastwood families will not transition to Oakridge at all - they will leave Granite District. A recent survey of 130 current Eastwood parents found that if Eastwood closes:

• 47% plan to pull their children out of Granite schools entirely (many would move to Salt Lake District or charters),

• 14% would go to Oakridge,

• The rest were undecided or had other plans.

This translates to over 60 Eastwood students immediately lost to Granite: more than would remain at Oakridge. The District would be effectively driving away families; what looks on paper like “combining schools” would in reality be shrinking the district’s enrollment further. For a district concerned about declining enrollment, pushing families out is the last thing we should do.

These results have been ruled out by District officials as an emotional response to the PAC’s recommendation. We reject this notion and would urge the board to look at this poll as a realistic view of what the potential closure of our school could mean for Granite.