Nevada is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. As a result, many of the state’s school districts are constantly in flux, restructuring and adding new schools in order to deal with the large number of newly arriving students. Because of this, many state school districts do not perform as well as they could. 

However, a number of Nevada school districts are characterized by high levels of achievement in academics and extracurricular activities. Here’s a look at the state’s five best school districts. 

The best school district in Nevada is Douglas County School District, comprising seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools with an enrollment of over 6,000. Students of the district graduate high school at a rate above state and national averages. 

Nye County School District is the 2nd best school district in Nevada. The expansive district consists of 15 schools and is headquartered in the town of Pahrump. NCSD is the largest district in the contiguous 48 states, geographically, serving a total area of 18,182 square miles. 

Earning Nevada’s #3 spot is Storey County School District, which is headquartered in Virginia City and comprises four schools. SCSD’s graduation rate of 90% is well above the Nevada state average. 

Humboldt County School District is the 4th best school system in Nevada. The district encompasses eleven schools with an enrollment of 3,500. HCSD schools have earned recognition as Distinguished Title I schools at both the state and national levels.

Rounding out the ranking of Nevada’s five best school districts is Lander County School District, which is headquartered in Battle Mountain and comprises four schools. The district’s Battle Mountain High School regularly achieves a graduation rate of above 95%.

Top School Districts in Nevada, 2020

Methodology

The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts.