HEBER CITY — From 2010 to 2020, Wasatch County was the fastest-growing county in the state with a staggering 47.9% growth rate.

Even after adding 11,258 residents in that period, the growth isn't expected to ease up. Data from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute suggests Wasatch County is projected to grow to 81,022 by 2060.

With the influx of growth comes new demands on the county and its entities to ensure the area can account for future growth, perfectly encapsulated by how the Wasatch County School District is working to ensure it can effectively educate a growing student population.

It's a good thing, too, as the Gardner Institute predicts the district will have the highest percentage of student growth (50%) in Utah over the next few decades.

"We'll increase by 4,000 students by 2060. We currently have 7,200 students," Paul Sweat, district superintendent, told KSL.com. "We're very well aware of this and we have been taking actions, and we continue to take action."

This started in 2022 with the district, along with school and community stakeholders coming together to form a facilities master plan to lay the groundwork for the district's future.

Part of this plan includes adding a new high school as soon as possible. Currently, the district only has one high school.

"We definitely have an overcrowding problem at our high school, a severe overcrowding problem," Sweat said, adding that the school is home to 2,600 students. "The day it opened in '09, (it) had 1,350. So it's doubled in size ... which is incredible growth."

The plan also included the construction of a new elementary school in five to six years and a new middle school in 10 to 15 years. Construction on the new high school, located at 1000 W. 100 South in Heber City, kicked off two months ago with an estimated opening of August 2026.

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New report outlines fiscal implications of Utah's declining school-age population

K-12 school enrollment has declined in recent years, and data from a new Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute report says it is expected to continue over the next decade.

The new high school is being funded through a lease revenue bond, and a further explanation of funding can be found in a video created by Wasatch County School District.

"If people think, 'Oh, they don't need that,' it's people that just are not participating or coming to events, and are just a little bit removed from that education process or the high school," Sweat said.

Building another high school will not only alleviate the congestion of an already overcrowded school, he said, but it will also improve students' learning outcomes.

"We think class size is going to go down. We think that the sense of community that takes place in smaller high schools and students being able to participate in extracurricular activities ... we have lots of hard data on the fact that when kids are involved in the school and the school feels like a community to them, that they do better academically," Sweat said. "We think this new school will take care of that (and) make it a much better learning environment."

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