Each August in Las Vegas, there’s a familiar beehive of activity as countless thousands of kids and teens head back to school. Sporting empty backpacks and the newest cool sneakers, they bus, drive, carpool, bicycle, and even walk to school (if anyone still does that!), eager to get an education (but more eager to see their friends and socialize).
And if you’re a parent in the Las Vegas area, you may welcome this Back-to-School ritual with both relief and a tiny panging of missing your child already (but mostly relief).
But there is no doubt that parents want the best education possible for their children, helping them learn, grow, and keeping them on the path to a brighter future.
If you’re new to the Las Vegas region, you may get some mixed messages and even confusion about the way the school systems work here, as well as their quality.
So, today I wanted to complete my homework by presenting you a primer on Las Vegas schools, including which ones are routinely voted the best.
Have an A+ school year!
About Las Vegas Schools
First, let’s cover the basics. The greater Las Vegas area contains approximately 336 schools, largely in the Clark County School District. With well over 300,000 students, the Clark County school district serves roughly 22% of Las Vegas’ entire 1.47 million population, making it the fifth largest school system in the entire nation.
It’s also one of the fastest growing school systems, adding thousands of newly enrolled students each year. The Clark County district employs more than 35,000 teachers, administrators, and other workers, and works with an annual budget of about $5.2 billion.
Breaking down the school districts
The residents of Henderson can send their children to public schools in the Clark County school district, and Henderson contains about 40 primary and secondary schools.
To put the size of the Clark County school district in perspective, that district enrolls 116% of the entire population of Henderson, which is only 279,996!
Children in North Las Vegas also attend public school in the Clark County School District. 59 Primary and secondary schools are located in the Clark County district. Since the population of North Las Vegas is only 229,482, the Clark County School District enrolls 142% of the entire population of North Las Vegas!
But some Las Vegas Valley students attend schools in the adjacent Baker Valley Unified school district, which is rates lower than the Clark County district (ranked only 3 out of 10).
Similarly, the Kingman Unified School District is near Las Vegas but rates only 5 out of 10. Likewise, the relatively small Bullhead City School District in the Las Vegas Valley rates 5 out of 10 as well.
Summerlin’s Schools
Residents of Summerlin North enjoy better-quality schools for their children as a whole. In fact, of Summerlin’s 24 schools, 10 are well-renowned private schools, and 16 schools are public. Summerlin also is home to a handful of colleges and specialized institutions of higher education.
Summerlin North contains 11 public primary and secondary schools. With a population of only 49,229 in Summerlin North, the Las Vegas’ Clark County District enrolls a remarkable 662% of the entire population of Summerlin!
The highest-rated school in Summerlin north is John W Bonner Elementary School, which has a 10 rating and educates 762 children. Other schools in Summerlin North with 10-ratings include the Ethel W. Staton Elementary School (Pre-K- 5, 814 students), Sig Rogich Middle School (grades 6-8, 1,696 students), and the Linda Rankin Givens Elementary School (grades Pre-k to 5, 1,116 students). Additionally, the William Lummis Elementary School (grades Pre-k to 5, 557 students) in Summerlin North is rated 9 out of 10.
The top schools in Las Vegas
The Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas, is widely considered the best in the district with perfect ratings of 10 in many independent school review surveys. The Coral Academy of Science is home to 1,200 students.
In Henderson, the Selma F. Bartlett Elementary school, is the highest rated school with a score of 10, educating 662 students at any given time.
The highest-rated institution of higher learning is the College of So. NV High School East, with a 10 rating but only 99 students on their rolls.
According to various national ranking platforms such as GreatSchools.com and others, these are some of the top-rated schools in the Las Vegas area:
Elementary Schools
10/10
Evelyn Stuckey Elementary School
Clark County School District
Public, PK-5
1042 students
10/10
Roger D Gehring Elementary School
Clark County School District
Public, PK-5
642 students
10/10
Charles & Phyllis Frias Elementary School
Clark County School District
Public, PK-5
839 students
10/10
Judy & John L Goolsby Elementary School
Clark County School District
Public, PK-5
787 students
10/10
Thomas O’roarke Elementary School
Clark County School District
Public, PK-5
826 students
Middle Schools
There are no middle schools rated 10/10 in Las Vegas, but the top-ranking middle school is:
9/10
Doral Academy of Nevada – Cactus Campus
9025 W Cactus Ave, Las Vegas, NV, 89178
Public charter, PK-8
997 students
High Schools
10/10
Advanced Technologies Academy
2501 Vegas Dr, Las Vegas, NV, 89106
Public district, 9-12
1,133 students
10/10
West Career & Technical Academy
11945 West Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV, 89145
Public district, 9-12
1,381 students
10/10
Veterans Tribute Career Technical Academy
2531 Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89106
Public district, 9-12
802 students
10/10
Southwest Career And Technical Academy
7050 West Shelbourne Avenue, Las Vegas, NV, 89113
Public district, 9-12
1,454 students
10/10
Northwest Career & Technical Academy
8200 West Tropical Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 89149
Public district, 9-12
1,842 students
Sources: