CARSON CITY, Nev. (FOX5) — The Nevada Department of Education on Tuesday released annual student achievement and school performance results while launching a new framework for measuring the performance of Nevada’s school districts.
Officials said the results give the public information on how the state’s students, schools and districts are performing, and give educators and leaders information to identify what is working and where improvement or support is needed.
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Senate Bill 460, passed during the 2025 Legislative Session and signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo, strengthens Nevada’s existing school accountability system, establishes a new Nevada District Performance Framework, and provides for escalating support and intervention when schools or districts do not improve.
“Accountability starts with a shared vision for student success, clear expectations for what strong schools and districts do to enable that success, and accessible information about our progress,” said Dr. Victor Wakefield, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “With the tools provided through Senate Bill 460, we are building a more aligned system of accountability designed to guide action, not simply label performance.”
Performance data for the state, school districts and schools is available at the Nevada Report Card website, nevadareportcard.nv.gov. District ratings are also available on the Nevada Department of Education’s website.
Graduation rates for the Class of 2026 will be released in November.
Student assessment results
The Nevada Department of Education also released statewide third- through eighth-grade student results on the Smarter Balanced assessments in English language arts and mathematics from the 2025-26 school year.
In English language arts, 45.2% of students demonstrated proficiency, down 0.4 percentage points compared with the 2024-25 school year. In third grade, the proficiency rate is 15.6 percentage points below the Nevada State Board of Education’s newly established goal of 60% by the 2030-31 school year. Proficiency decreased across nearly all student groups, with declines ranging from 0.2 to 2.9 percentage points. Fifth-grade students had the largest gain, at 4 percentage points, while seventh-grade students had the largest decline, at 5.3 percentage points.
In mathematics, 36.2% of students demonstrated proficiency, up 0.8 percentage points compared with the prior year. In eighth grade, the proficiency rate is 12.1 percentage points below the Nevada State Board of Education’s newly established goal of 40% by the 2030-31 school year. Mathematics proficiency increased across grades 3-8, with the largest gain in seventh grade at 1.7 percentage points. Gains were observed among most student groups, with the largest gain among Hispanic students, whose proficiency increased 1.4 percentage points.
In science, proficiency rates were 17.4% for elementary school students, down 0.3 percentage points compared with the prior year; 33.4% for middle school students, down 3.1 percentage points; and 26.5% for high school students, up 3.4 percentage points.
“After recent gains, these results are a clear reminder of both the progress Nevada has made and the work still ahead,” Wakefield said. “The ambitious goals in our new statewide strategic plan reflect the outcomes Nevada students need to thrive in school and beyond. Now, our focus must be on translating that plan into action and ensuring every Nevada student has the strong academic foundations that deeper learning depends on.”
School star ratings
The Nevada School Performance Framework star rating system determines a school’s performance based on multiple measures, including the English language arts and mathematics Smarter Balanced assessments, science assessments, chronic absenteeism and graduation rate. Schools earn points for performance in each measure, and results are added together for a total index score ranging from one to 100. The index score corresponds to a star rating from one to five.
For the 2025-26 school year, 122 schools received five stars (14.2%), 119 received four stars (13.8%), 162 received three stars (18.8%), 219 received two stars (25.5%), 162 received one star (18.8%), and 76 schools were not rated (8.8%), out of a total of 860 schools.
In total, 11 schools saw a gain of two or more stars in 2026:
- Clark County School District: R. Guild Gray Elementary School and Green Valley High School
- Esmeralda County School District: Goldfield Elementary School
- Humboldt County School District: McDermitt Junior High School
- Nye County School District: Amargosa Valley Middle School
- State Public Charter School Authority: Learning Bridge Charter School, Founders Academy of Las Vegas, Discovery Preparatory Academy Hillpointe, and Silver Sands Montessori
- Washoe County School District: Jerry Whitehead Elementary School
- White Pine County School District: Lund Elementary School
The Nevada Department of Education is refreshing the school framework during the 2026-27 school year to make it clearer, more actionable and more closely aligned with student outcomes. The department will also expand efforts to identify schools with strong results, including the state’s highest-performing and most-improved schools, as well as schools making progress in reducing achievement gaps among student groups.
New accountability for school districts
For the first time, Nevada is implementing the Nevada District Performance Framework, extending the state’s accountability system to districts and charter school sponsors.
“Schools are where students learn every day, but districts play a critical role in whether schools have the people, resources, instructional support, and systems they need to succeed,” Wakefield said. “The District Performance Framework gives Nevada a clearer way to understand how districts are delivering for students, recognize strong performance, and act earlier when improvement is needed.”
For the 2025-26 school year, the district framework’s overall rating is based on two components: School Outcomes and District Supports. The results establish a baseline for the new framework and are intended to provide an initial picture of performance. These results are informational and do not carry formal accountability consequences.
Last school year, three districts were identified as Level 1, indicating they did not meet performance expectations. Twelve districts were identified as Level 2, indicating intermediate performance. Three districts were identified as Level 3, indicating they exceeded performance expectations.
“The NDPF will give school trustees and the public a clearer picture of how districts are serving students,” said Irene Bustamante Adams, Nevada Association of School Boards President and a member of the Metrics Subcommittee for Accountability Redesign. “As a trustee, I believe its greatest potential is in helping school boards and district leaders across the state recognize strengths, identify areas that need greater attention, and make informed decisions that support student success.”
Beginning with the 2026-27 results, student outcomes will be incorporated into the overall district framework rating, with a focus on early literacy, middle school mathematics, high school graduation and advanced diploma attainment, and an additional student outcome selected by each district.
Districts that do not meet expectations under the framework may be designated as low-performing. Beginning in fall 2028, a district designated as low-performing for two consecutive years, 2026-27 and 2027-28, may be designated as an underperforming, or Priority District.
The department is seeking public input on the draft plan through Oct. 21. Educators, families, students, community members and other education partners are encouraged to review the draft and provide feedback.
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