Davis School District officials have approved a plan to end a French-English dual-language program at a district junior high school at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
The program at South Davis Junior High in Bountiful serves only seven students, and it will be closed and consolidated into a larger program at Mueller Park Junior High, also in Bountiful. The Mueller Park program serves 139 students.
The Davis School District School Board voted Tuesday to end the South Davis program after a study into the issue and a public hearing in October. “It’s hard to run a strong program, and it’s hard to attract and retain a high-quality teacher when the numbers are low,” said Chris Keime, secondary director for the district.
Davis School District officials had also debated whether to close a Spanish-English dual-language program at Lincoln Elementary in Layton, but voted last month to keep it.
Utah’s dual-language immersion programs are the focus of ongoing debate and scrutiny as enrollment numbers fluctuate. Earlier this year, Utah lawmakers approved a measure, SB102, that calls for an evaluation of dual-language immersion programs in Utah public schools every five years.