Nevada Schools

    As a whole, after the 2005-06 school year Nevada has been designated as “In Need of Improvement” for the third year in a row as determined by the federally Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements set by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. However, only four of the 17 counties in Nevada are in need of improvement, and only two did not make their AYP requirements. Over 220 schools were labeled as in need of improvement. However, 76 schools were given the “High Achieving” label, and 15 were “Exemplary.” Schools labeled as needing improvement receive special federal funding to help raise test scores—including free tutoring.

In the 2005-06 school year, Nevada raised two spots in the “Smartest State” rankings from 49 to 47 out of 50, above New Mexico, Mississippi, and Arizona. The Smartest State rankings are based on 21 factors including student achievement, positive outcomes, and personal attention from teachers.

Nevada’s per pupil spending averages at $6300 per student state wide. The Esmerelda county school district has the highest per-student expenditures in Nevada, paying almost $24,000 per student. The Clark County school district averages the least amount per student, spending $6,031 per pupil. The districts receive 63% of their funding from local sources.

Many of the schools that have been labeled needing improvement have been in that designation for multiple years, and have been designated as “Title I” schools—schools whose main NCLB focus is on raising student performance. Students in schools that have been labeled as needing improvement two years in a row can transfer to nearby schools that are performing better. To see how your school did the last round of testing, visit Nevada’s Department of Education at http://www.doe.nv.gov.