Schools across Canyons School District continue to shine, maintaining top rankings in the state. Peruvian Park has been ranked No. 2 in Canyons and No. 4 in the state on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Best Elementary Schools in Utah,” leading a strong showing by Canyons across the board.
In all, 22 Canyons’ elementary schools placed among Utah’s top 40 percent, according to the magazine’s 2026 rankings, earning rights to a “Best Schools” display badge. Six of Canyons’ eight middle schools earned “Best Utah Middle Schools” status.
Just to be named in the rankings is no small feat, considering there are 580 elementary schools and 181 middle and junior high schools in Utah.
Among CSD’s top-ranked K-6 schools, Sunrise repeated as No. 1 , followed by Peruvian Park in fourth place, Lone Peak at 15th, Willow Canyon at 18th, Brookwood at 20th, and Draper Elementary at 25th place. An additional four CSD schools placed among Utah’s top 50: Park Lane, Canyon View, Oakdale, and Butler elementary schools.
Not to be outdone, three Canyons’ middle schools ranked among Utah’s top five led by Albion Middle in third place, Butler Middle in fourth, and Draper Park Middle in fifth place. Six of Canyons’ eight middle schools achieved top-50 status including, Eastmont, Indian Hills, and Union middle schools.
U.S. News bases its rankings on state test scores, specifically the share of students who were proficient or above proficient in math and reading. Half of each school’s score takes test scores at face value, while the other half weights them according to the school’s socioeconomic demographics.
“Great elementary and middle schools educate their students from all socioeconomic backgrounds with the goal of setting them up for success,” states the magazine’s explanation for its methodology. “In turn, students develop the core competencies in state curricula that best prepare them for high school.”
U.S. News pulled from 2022-2023 math and 2021-2022 reading data, sourced from the U.S. Department of Education’s EdFacts Initiative. Because Utah had reported no reading assessment data for 2021-2022 school year, the rankings were based on reading data from 2020-2021.