Every one of Canyons School District's five comprehensive high schools landed in the Salt Lake Valley's top 20 on the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, a milestone Sandy families can carry into the Aug. 17 first day of school.

Corner Canyon in Draper led the district at seventh statewide. Brighton placed 19th, Alta 24th and Hillcrest 29th. Jordan, Sandy's other neighborhood high school, came in 58th statewide but still earned a top-20 Valley slot. Four cracked the top 30.

The Canyons Board of Education recognized the rankings at its May 19 meeting under its "Canyons Strong Recognitions" agenda item, alongside a second headline: Hillcrest High's theater team claimed the 5A state drama festival title for the fourth consecutive year.

Board member Jackson Lewis congratulated Hillcrest's "Phantom of the Opera" cast at the same meeting for winning two categories at the Utah High School Musical Theater Awards.

What it means for Sandy schools

Alta and Jordan are the two CSD high schools inside Sandy city limits. Alta's 24th-place statewide finish comes with a 51% Advanced Placement participation rate; Jordan's AP rate is 36%. Corner Canyon leads the district at 61%.

Hillcrest, located in neighboring Midvale, posted its top-30 statewide ranking with a student body that is 50% minority and 39% economically disadvantaged.

The district said in an April news release that 83% of local high school students choose Canyons schools even as Utah's school-choice landscape expands. Another 770 students enroll from outside district boundaries.

The rankings weigh six factors including state assessment proficiency, underserved student performance and college curriculum breadth.

Looking ahead

As we reported July 29, Canyons classes for grades 1–12 begin Monday, Aug. 17, with kindergartners starting Wednesday, Aug. 19.