Uintah School District studying middle school closure amid declining enrollment, safety concerns

NAPLES, Uintah County — The Uintah School District board of education voted 4-1 on Monday to begin studying the potential closure of Uintah Middle School after the 2026-2027 school year.

Board member Robin McClellan cast the lone vote opposing the closure study.

The driving force behind the board's decision is one every Utah school district is familiar with: declining enrollment.

Over the last decade, the district's enrollment has dropped by 1,000 students, Superintendent Rick Woodford said during Monday's meeting.

"We stand to lose a lot more kids over the next ... eight years. We're right in the middle of declining enrollment. We've already taken a lot of measures as a school district to try to accommodate and make things work," Woodford said, adding that the district last year let go of 17 full-time employees as part of the downsizing.

Uintah isn't alone in facing declining enrollment. Far from it, in fact.

After a decade of steady growth for Utah's public school system, the state's K-12 enrollment in 2025 declined for the third consecutive year.

Prior to 2020, the state's public school enrollment hadn't declined since 2000.

"Here we are again, in a situation where, if we want to be financially viable in the future, we've got to make some hard decisions today," Woodford said.

Woodford also noted Uintah Middle School is on the state's list of unreinforced masonry buildings, meaning it's more likely to collapse in the event of an earthquake — another factor in the board's decision.

Utah code requires at least a 90-day notice to allow ample time for public input before a school board can vote to close a school, and Monday's vote started that timer.

Chelsea Roth, a nurse and parent of two students at Uintah Middle School, worried the board could be "missing the mark" by only considering school closures through a financial lens.

"When you make dramatic changes, specifically to a population of middle schoolers who are already so impacted by change, we have to take that into account of what that looks like for them. I think we need to pull more data in (about) how impactful that would be on their mental health," Roth told the board Monday during the public's first chance to plead its case with the board.

If the board does vote to close Uintah Middle School, the plan would be for Vernal Middle School to accommodate all seventh- and eighth-grade students in the district, according to a memo sent to board members from Woodford.

Under this model, sixth graders would be spread throughout the district's seven elementary schools.

Members of the public will have their first post-vote opportunity to weigh in on the potential closure on Oct. 7, during a regularly scheduled board meeting at the district's office in Naples, 826 S. 1500 East.

The board will also hear public comment on:

• Nov. 11, during a regularly scheduled meeting at Eagle View Elementary.
• Nov. 18, during a public hearing at Uintah Middle School.
• Dec. 9, during a regularly scheduled meeting at the district office.
• Dec. 22, during a special meeting at the district office.

The final vote on Uintah Middle School's fate will come on Dec. 22, "based on the findings of the study and public input," the district said on its website.

More information on the closure study and a timeline of events can be found here.

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