LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Statewide, and in Clark County, Nevada students and schools still have a way to go when it comes to English and math performance, despite some gains in key areas.
The state is rolling out a new performance evaluation tool passed by the Legislature in 2025 and approved by Gov. Joe Lombardo, designed to give the public more insights into school performance.
According to the state, students statewide show proficiency in English at levels between 43% and 50%, depending on grade. They show math proficiency between 23% and 41%.
Notwithstanding those scores, the statewide graduation rate is 85.4%.
Here in Clark County, students show between 41% and 51% proficiency in English and between 23% and 40% proficiency in math. The graduation rate is 86.6%.
The district said that 73% of Clark County schools either maintained their star rating, or gained a star. But there are still 199 one-or two-star schools, according to statistics released by the district.
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Clark County School District Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Jesse Welsh said Tuesday that, despite the gains in certain areas, there's room to improve.
"The main headline that I'm seeing with our data for this year is while we are making some incremental growth... we still have a lot of work to do," Welsh said. "We have some specific targets that are outlined within our strategic plan, so we're making progress to those goals, but yeah, we still have a lot of work to do."
The district said 73% of all its schools either maintained their star rating, or added a star. But the district still has 199 schools rated with just one (90 schools) or two (109 schools) stars.
"I'll tell you, I think we do feel that sense of urgency. Again, I go back to when I think of particularly some of the schools that have the furthest climb to make, really having that sense of urgency in our classrooms," he said. "Like not waiting until you know a day after, or a week after, to say 'Hey, let's talk about what happened in that lesson.' Like having those conversations at that time with that teacher, helping to coach."
There are many factors that go into those numbers, including whether there's a well-qualified teacher in the classroom, and access to instructional materials. Class size also plays a role.
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But there are also factors outside the district's control that come into play, as well. Students can also be facing poverty, hunger, problems in their home life and other social factors.
As always, an involved parent plays a huge role in student learning, just as a disengaged parent can hinder it.
But Welsh said one of the most basic things is also one of the most important.
"You know, one of the things that continues to be a challenge again although we've seen some growth even this year, is students can't learn if they're not in the classroom," Welsh said.
Students skip school for a variety of reasons, including transportation and being needed at home to care for a sibling. Currently, the percentage of students considered chronically absent in Clark County sits at 27%, a number that hasn't improved much since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Those are the barriers that, you know, we try to do what we can to help eliminate those for families, but those are things that in some cases that our ability to help is somewhat limited, but we've got to have kids at school so they can learn."
For more information on school rankings — and to check individual districts in Nevada — you can visit the state's performance framework website.
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