Timpanogos School District Is Studying 13 Schools for Possible Closure: What Orem, Lindon, Pleasant Grove and Vineyard Families Should Know

The new Timpanogos School District, which takes over public schools in Orem, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Vineyard when Alpine School District ends on June 30, 2027, is studying 13 schools for possible closure or consolidation. Board members have said the district may close three to five elementary schools and consolidate one junior high. No school has been chosen.

The board voted in late August to start the studies, a step the district described as the first in formally notifying the public. In October it held study sessions on specific schools and a public comment period, and parents have started showing up.

The 13 schools being studied

Being on this list does not mean a school will close. It means the school is part of the boundary and consolidation study. October study sessions focused on Lindon, Rocky Mountain, Aspen and Bonneville elementaries and Oak Canyon Junior High, and Orchard has been discussed as a likely pair with Foothill.

Why the district is looking at closures

The short answer is that there are fewer elementary-age children in these four cities than the buildings were built for.

• A district letter said elementary enrollment across Orem, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Vineyard is nearly identical to 1980 levels.
• Projections show 15 of the district's 20 elementary schools falling outside the size ranges in its "Robust School Criteria" by 2030.
• The district has warned of rising costs per pupil in smaller schools.

KSL reported the district is expected to start with about 23,330 students.

What parents are saying

At the October 8 public comment period, Lindon parents pushed back. Erin Dickerson told the Daily Herald she moved to Lindon seven years ago for its schools, and warned that closing them could drive families away and make the enrollment decline worse.

At Orchard Elementary in Orem, which runs a Spanish dual language immersion program that draws more applicants than any other in the district, PTA president Stephanie Savage called the uncertainty "the tricky thing" and said the school's priority is keeping its administration and teachers. Orem Mayor Karen McCandless, who joined Orchard's Friday bike bus on October 9, described schools as community centers and acknowledged the board faces "tough decisions."

How to weigh in

• Cluster meetings are being held at each school so families can talk directly with board members.
• Board meetings and study sessions are posted on Utah's Public Notice Website under the Timpanogos School District.
• The board started a 90-day public feedback process after its August vote. District spokesman Tyler Vigue said the district wants community comments and participation.

If you live in Provo

This does not affect you directly. Provo has its own district, and the Provo and Orem schools guide covers both systems. For the bigger picture of the split, see our guides to the end of Alpine School District, Aspen Peaks School District to the north, and how American Fork and Pleasant Grove land in different districts. If you are weighing a move inside Orem, the Orem neighborhoods guide is the place to start.