Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives

Nevada

741 Schools22 Districts482K Students
$18,430
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+28% nat'l
78.6%
Free Lunch Rate
+26.4pp vs nat'l
81.8%
Graduation Rate
-4.7pp vs nat'l
42/100
Opportunity Score
Limited
⇄ Compare Nevada with another state
About Nevada Public Schools

Nevada's education system faces perhaps the steepest set of structural challenges of any state: a large and rapidly growing student population fueled by migration into Las Vegas and Henderson, among the lowest per-pupil spending nationally, a high proportion of English learners (over 15%), and chronic teacher shortages amplified by high housing costs. Clark County School District, serving metro Las Vegas, is the fifth-largest school district in the US with over 300,000 students — and administers schools in a jurisdiction that spans a vast geographic area. Nevada has consistently ranked at or near the bottom of national education rankings, though the state has made targeted investments in early childhood education and teacher recruitment. The Nevada Statewide Assessment (NSA) and ACT (grade 11) serve as primary accountability measures.

State Snapshot
State BoardNevada State Board of Education
AssessmentNevada Statewide Assessment (NSA) / ACT (grade 11)
Compulsory Ages7–18
School CalendarSchool year begins in early August in Clark County; other districts vary
Total Enrollment482,143
Public Schools741
School Districts (22)
Per-pupil spending in Nevada ranges from $8,822 to $41,333 across districts with available data. State avg: $18,430.
DistrictSchoolsStudentsPer-PupilGrad RateFree LunchOpp.
Large Districts — 10,000+ Students
CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT377310K$13,53327%92.3%13%97.2%24%40
WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT11264K$14,97319%89.6%9%54.8%30%42
STATE-SPONSORED CHARTER SCHOOLS7158K$8,82252%87.4%7%46.3%41%42
ELKO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT3510K$14,23523%84.6%40.5%48%39
Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students
LYON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT209,053$13,30028%86.4%6%53.1%32%42
CARSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT137,654$15,10518%94.8%16%69.5%12%41
NYE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT275,842$14,56621%89.4%9%100.0%27%44
DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT165,312$12,96430%91.4%12%29.6%62%46
CHURCHILL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT73,342$13,08629%82.0%100.1%27%47
HUMBOLDT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT143,311$15,01219%90.3%10%62.6%20%48
WHITE PINE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT101,307$17,56989.5%9%92.7%18%44
LANDER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT51,059$15,25017%87.0%6%43.8%44%
Small Districts — Fewer than 1,000 Students
LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT10958$17,76283.4%46.4%41%59
PERSHING COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT4663$21,89819%92.5%13%73.6%6%49
MINERAL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT5608$18,78784.5%100.0%27%35
STOREY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT4416$21,49917%84.5%42.5%46%42
EUREKA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT3333$41,333124%67.5%18%34.5%56%51
DAVIDSON ACADEMY SCHOOL DISTRICT1163$23,98730%85.0%1.8%98%42
Pyramid Lake High School112749.5%40%97.6%24%32
ESMERALDA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT488$36,49498%89.8%14%51
CORRECTIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT12225.0%69%39
Duckwater Shoshone Elementary School11070.0%11%47
Showing all 22 districts
Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.