Editing Hildale, Utah (section)

==Education==
Hildale is within the [[Washington County School District (Utah)|Washington County School District]].

The earliest school, when the city was founded in 1914 was across the border, funded by Mohave County, Arizona.<ref name=":0" /> Various schools were built and used, by 1998, the city's elementary-age students attended the Phelps School in Hildale while many older students attended school in [[Colorado City Unified School District]] in Arizona.<ref>{{citation |first= Tom |last= Zoellner |date=June 28, 1998 |title= Schools: Local Control, But Little Local Money; Much of the funding used for education comes from beyond the boundaries of polygamous border towns |newspaper= [[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |id= Archive Article Id: 100F39868A5608CB ([[NewsBank]])|url=http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40772.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19991114130622/http://www.sltrib.com/1998/jun/06281998/sunday_a/40772.htm |archive-date=November 14, 1999}}.</ref> In early 2000, local religious leaders encouraged families to withdraw their children from public schools, with over a thousand students transitioning to homeschool across all grades,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2024-01-17 |title=Hildale's school is closing |url=https://www.deseret.com/2001/8/9/19600599/hildale-s-school-is-closing/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref> similarly, the schools saw major teacher resignations<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gewertz |first=Catherine |date=2000-09-13 |title=Student Exodus Hits Schools In 2 Towns |url=https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/student-exodus-hits-schools-in-2-towns/2000/09 |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=Education Week |language=en |issn=0277-4232}}</ref> which effectively led to their closures. Utah contracted with Arizona for remaining public school students to attend schools across the border.<ref name=":2" />

In 2014 Washington County School District purchased the old Phelps Elementary Building and a building next to it. After a quick remodel, the old Phelps Elementary School was reopened as Water Canyon School, which originally served K-12.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hildale public school reopens after more than a decade |url=https://fox13now.com/2014/08/12/hildale-public-school-reopens-after-more-than-a-decade/ |agency=Fox 13 News}}</ref> Two years later, the building next to Phelps was completed, and opened as [[Water Canyon High School]].<ref>{{cite web |title=High school opens in polygamous town on Utah-Arizona border |url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3886606&itype=CMSID |agency=Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> The completion of the high school allowed Water Canyon School to become K-8. By 2020 Enrollment had increased significantly and the school expanded with a new Career and technical education building and athletic facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Washington County School District sees a building boom |date=March 21, 2021 |url=https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2021/03/21/ajt-washington-county-school-district-sees-a-building-boom/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2021, [[Utah Tech University]] opened an extension campus within the high school.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dixie State University establishes learning center at Water Canyon High School in Hildale |date=February 9, 2021 |url=https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2021/02/09/mrw-dixie-state-university-establishes-learning-center-at-water-canyon-high-school-in-hildale/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |language=en-US}}</ref>