District overview
Emery County School District
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
How Emery County schools are paid for and who decides
Emery County School District runs ten schools across Emery County, Utah: six elementaries, Canyon View and San Rafael middle schools, Emery High in Castle Dale and Green River High (grades 7-12) in Green River. Utah pays districts mainly through a per-student formula (the WPU), so the number of students drives most of the budget. Local property taxes add board, voted, capital and debt levies. A five-member Board of Education, elected by geographic district for four-year terms, sets the budget, tax rates and policies and hires the superintendent.
Mostly state money
The FY27 general fund budget plans about $48.2 million in revenue: $33.1 million from the state, $14.0 million local and $1.1 million federal.
Fewer students
Fall 2026 enrollment was 1,805 K-12 students, down from 1,905 a year earlier and about 13% lower than in 2021-22.
Five elected members
Each member represents one of five board districts. Districts 4 and 5 are on the November 3, 2026 ballot, each with one certified candidate.
Large share in special education
The superintendent reported 23% of students have IEPs, compared with a 12.1% Utah average.
Falling enrollment is common in rural Utah, and the district reports graduation rates at the state average (89.2%). None of this shows the district is badly run.
Where the district stands
Calculation from budget and fall enrollment; includes all general fund spending, not just classrooms.
Major projects
HVAC replacement at Huntington, Cleveland and Cottonwood elementaries
mostly complete; Cleveland start-up delayed to October 2026The board awarded about $5.07 million in contracts in a 3-1 vote after staff said all three systems were failing. Huntington ran behind schedule.
- Contracts awarded (3-1)
- Summer work mostly on time; Huntington behind
- Possible delayed start warned; Cleveland unit starts in October
Funding
Capital funds plus a state capital grant
Green River High Springboard improvement plan
in year 1 of 3After state identification, Green River High works with Innovations Educational Consulting and a new instructional coach to raise its accountability score from 42.44% to 47.29%.
- Improvement expert hired
- Plan approved
- Instructional coach named
Funding
State school improvement program (not stated in documents)
Focus 2026 strategic plan and Portrait of a Graduate
adoptedEight goals: literacy, math, science, graduation rate, Portrait of a Graduate, academic mastery, professional excellence and safe schools. The TSSA framework now targets 3-5% yearly growth on state tests.
- Final draft presented
- Plan on agenda for adoption
- Portrait of a Graduate rollout planned
Funding
General fund (not itemized)
Sale of district-owned Castle Dale building lots
under discussionThe board voted 3-1 to appraise and advertise the lots and is weighing options including workforce housing.
- Vote to advertise at fair market value
- Options reviewed with attorneys
- Work session on the sale
Funding
Sale proceeds (amount not set)
Recent news
Board agendas, minutes and attachments from the district's Diligent Community portal, plus machine transcripts of the district's posted Google Drive board recordings (November 2025 through October 2026).
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