Public education in Nevada

K-12 education in Nevada

Education facts

State superintendent: Jhone Ebert

Number of students: 447,603

Number of teachers: 23,577

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:19

Number of school districts: 20

Number of schools: 668

Graduation rate: 84%

Per-pupil spending: $9,814

See also

Nevada Department of Education • List of school districts in Nevada • Nevada • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Nevada Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Nevada public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Nevada had 447,603 students enrolled in a total of 668 schools in 20 school districts. There were 23,577 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 19 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Nevada spent on average $9,814 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 84 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Nevada compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Nevada
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Nevada	668	20	447,603	23,577	1:19	$9,814
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to neighboring states, Nevada's scores were about on par with Arizona and California, but lower than those in Utah. The best scores in the state were earned by fourth graders in math, with 34 percent scoring at or above proficient.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Nevada	34%	28%	27%	30%
Arizona	40%	31%	28%	28%
California	33%	28%	27%	29%
Utah	44%	36%	37%	39%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state

See also: ACT and SAT scores in the U.S.

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Nevada and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Nevada schools reported a graduation rate of 70.7 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, the lowest among its neighboring states

In Nevada, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1454.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Nevada	70.7%	Fifth	21.3	32%	1454	48%
Arizona	75.1%	Fifth	19.6	50%	1551	35%
California	80.4%	Third	22.2	26%	1505	57%
Utah	83%	Third	20.7	100%	684	6%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Nevada was higher than the national average at 4.1 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 3.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Nevada

School choice options in Nevada included charter schools, homeschooling, online learning, private schools and voluntary inter-district public school open enrollment.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Nevada is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Nevada state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Nevada spent approximately 22.3 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from state funds. Nevada spent the second highest as a percentage of its total budget on public education when compared to its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Nevada	22.3%	$8,339	9.5%	61.9%	28.6%
Arizona	18.6%	$7,208	14.6%	36.2%	49.2%
California	21.4%	$9,220	11.8%	52.9%	35.3%
Utah	23.6%	$6,555	9.5%	52%	38.5%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Nevada, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at $2.6 billion. Nevada reported the lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Nevada	$392,009	$2,556,472	$1,181,811	$4,130,292
Arizona	$1,178,356	$2,934,165	$3,985,395	$8,097,916
California	$7,836,263	$35,141,208	$23,468,448	$66,445,919
Utah	$409,774	$2,235,917	$1,656,221	$4,301,912
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Nevada totaled approximately $4.2 billion in fiscal year 2012. Nevada reported the lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Nevada	$3,574,233	$327,173	$262,933	$4,164,339
Arizona	$7,974,545	$922,249	$282,469	$9,179,262
California	$57,975,189	$6,693,286	$3,264,820	$67,933,295
Utah	$3,779,760	$746,262	$264,051	$4,790,073
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Nevada, the average salary increased by four percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Nevada	$53,830	$54,999	$55,467	$55,957	4%
Arizona	$50,430	$50,119	$49,501	$49,885	-1.1%
California	$65,159	$72,803	$69,672	$69,324	6.4%
Utah	$47,757	$48,980	$48,961	$49,393	3.4%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Nevada Department of Education

According to the state's educational goals for 2020, the Nevada Department of Education is in charge of elevating student achievement results, improving the graduation rate, ensuring students are ready for college or careers upon finishing high school, overseeing the effectiveness of teachers and administrators, supporting and expanding programs that have proven to improve learning and increasing productivity.

Dale Erquiaga was appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction by the governor in August 2013.

The mission statement of the Nevada Department of Education reads:

“

To improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence.

”

The Nevada State Board of Education sets education policy for the state. It is composed of 11 members, four of whom are elected. The other seven are appointed.

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Nevada ranked 25th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the middle tier of five.

The main union related to the Nevada school system is the Nevada State Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA).

List of local Nevada school unions:

• Nevada State Education Association
• Clark County Education Association
• Douglas County Professional Education Association
• Ormsby County Education Association
• Elko County Classroom Teacher Association

Government sector lobbying

See also: Nevada government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Nevada Association of School Boards. Each of Nevada's school districts is a member of the organization.

Transparency

On January 15, 2009, Governor Jim Gibbons launched Nevada Open Government, a statewide searchable online database for financial data.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Nevada received a score of 65.7, or a D average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 75.4, or a C average. The lowest score was in "school finance" at 64.5, or a D average. Nevada had the lowest score in the "standards, assessments and accountability" category when compared to surrounding states. The chart below displays the scores of Nevada and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Nevada	65.7 (D)	66.7 (D+)	75.4 (C)	71.0 (C-)	64.5 (D)	75.0 (C)
Arizona	70.2 (C-)	66.6 (D+)	87.6 (B+)	62.4 (D-)	66.8 (D+)	78.6 (C+)
California	72.4 (C-)	67.8 (D+)	92.8 (A)	71.6 (C-)	69.2 (D+)	82.1 (B-)
Utah	79.1 (C+)	69.1 (D+)	81.7 (B-)	64.5 (D)	65.2 (D)	89.3 (B+)
United States	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Nevada contains only traditional school districts. One school district operates in each county, and one school district educates students in Carson City in particular.

School board composition

Nevada school board members are elected by residents of the school district. Nevada school board elections typically follow one of these three methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• Trustee area: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.
• Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards can consist of five or seven members. School board members serve four-year terms, which are often staggered every two years.

Term limits

Nevada school board members are limited to 12 years in office by state law. Term limits were approved by voters in a 1996 ballot measure, and then upheld in 2008 by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Elections

See also: Nevada school board elections, 2024

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024 in this state. This list may not include all school districts that held elections in 2024. Ballotpedia's coverage included all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2024 Nevada School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2022-2023 enrollment
Clark County School District	6/11/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	4	7	309,787
Washoe County School District	6/11/2024	11/5/2024	N/A	4	4	7	64,443

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Nevada, a person must be:

• 18 years of age or older
• A "qualified elector"
• A resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the candidacy filing deadline

The process of running for office as a school board candidate begins with filing a "declaration of candidacy" form at the local county elections office. Depending on the district, candidates may also be required to pay a filing fee. The filing fee in both Clark County and Washoe County is $30.

Campaign finance

Nevada requires all school board candidates to file five campaign finance reports with the Nevada Secretary of State during the election cycle.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Nevada state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Nevada ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Nevada Public School Funding, Question 1 (2004)
2. Nevada Per Pupil Expenditure, Question 2 (2004)
3. Nevada Public School Financing, Question 3 (1956)
4. Nevada Fund Education First, Question 1 (2006)
5. Nevada Selection of University Board of Regents Amendment, Question 9 (2006)
6. Nevada State Debt Limit School Exemption, Question 7 (2002)
7. Nevada Corporate Tax for Education, Question 6 (1990)
8. Nevada Margin Tax for Public Schools Initiative, Question 3 (2014)
9. Nevada State Lands and Revenue for Educational Purposes, Question 2 (1988)
10. Nevada Investment of Revenue for Educational Purposes, Question 4 (1980)
11. Nevada Office of Public Instruction, Question 4 (1956)
12. Nevada Amendment on Legislative Funding for Public Schools, Question 5 (1954)
13. Nevada Question 1, Remove Constitutional Status of Board of Regents Amendment (2024)
14. Nevada Exempt School Teachers from Public Employee Strike Ban Initiative (2026)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Nevada education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Nevada - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in Nevada
• Nevada state budget and finances
• Nevada Department of Education
• List of school districts in Nevada
• School choice in Nevada
• Charter schools in Nevada
• Nevada
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• Nevada Department of Education
• Nevada Public School Ratings by PSK12
• Nevada Public School Ratings by Great Schools