SALT LAKE CITY – With another school year right around the corner, the Sutherland Institute has launched a free online resource that can help Utah families find the right school for their child.
“Education choice only works when families can easily understand the opportunities available to them,” according to Christine Cooke Fairbanks, an education policy fellow at the Sutherland Institute in Salt Lake City.
“The Utah Schools Navigator gives parents the information they need to compare options, ask the right questions and find the learning environment where their children can thrive,” she explains.
Found online at www.UtahSchools.org, the institute’s Utah Schools Navigator is a one-stop, nonpartisan resource that helps families discover and compare all types of schools available in Utah, including public, charter, magnet, private and micro-schools.
Sutherland officials say that families can use the Utah Schools Navigator to search schools near their home or workplace, learn about Utah’s education system, compare options and connect with someone who can walk them through the process if they need additional guidance.
In recent years, the Sutherland Institute has strongly advocated for school choice in opposition to the Utah Education Association with mixed results.
In 2025, for example, the UEA sued the state over its Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, arguing that the program diverts tax money to private schools that aren’t free, open to all students or supervised by the state board of education.
As of early August, that case is still pending in the Utah Supreme Court and the scholarship program has moved ahead under appeal.
The online site includes a search tool to identify nearby schools powered by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation; a frequently asked questions section about school choice options and links to school ranking resources; a contact page for one-on-one assistance; a review section for families can share their personal experiences; and an add-on page where schools and education providers can request additions to the Navigator’s search directory.
“Whether it’s a single mom working two jobs who doesn’t have hours to research schools, a family trying to find a school in their new neighborhood, or parents whose child is struggling and needs a different learning environment, the Utah Schools Navigator was created to make the search easier,” Fairbanks emphasizes.
The Sutherland Institute is a conservative public policy think tank founded in 1995 by Utah businessman and philanthropist Gaylord K. Swim. The institute’s fellows believe that families, private initiatives, voluntary associations, churches and businesses are better at solving problems than the government.