October 2, 2025

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Nevada’s third through eighth grade students showed gains in both mathematics and English Language Arts on the Smarter Balanced assessments.

The Nevada Department of Education has released performance results from the 2024-25 school year.

For a third consecutive year, all grade levels made improvements in mathematics proficiency. All grade levels made improvements in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency. Additionally, all student groups made gains in mathematics and ELA last school year.

Overall, 35.4 percent of students demonstrated proficiency in mathematics – a 2.9 percentage-point increase compared with the 2023-24 school year.

In English Language Arts, the statewide proficiency rate was 45.6 percent – up 4.4 percentage points from the previous year.

“The across-the-board gains in student achievement last school year are a positive step and a testament to the hard work of our educators and students,” said Dr. Steve Canavero, Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction. “We know that work remains to ensure that all students are equipped and prepared to thrive in school and in their future endeavors.”

On Sept. 15, the Nevada Department of Education released school star ratings. Now, the remainder of the performance data is available on the Nevada Report Card website.

To view performance data for the state, school districts, and schools, visit the Nevada Report Card website at nevadareportcard.nv.gov.

Smarter Balanced Assessments

In English Language Arts and mathematics, students made gains in every student group by race/ethnicity, those who have a disability, English learners, and those who are economically disadvantaged.

The largest gains by race/ethnicity in English Language Arts were among Pacific Islander students (6.9 percentage-point increase), and Black and Hispanic students (4.9 percentage-point increase).

The largest gains by race/ethnicity in mathematics were among students of two or more races (3.6 percentage-point increase) and Hispanic students (3.2 percentage-point increase).

Third graders had the highest level of mathematics proficiency at 46.4 percent, followed by fourth graders at 43.2 percent, and fifth graders at 34.6 percent.

In English Language Arts, seventh graders demonstrated the highest level of proficiency at 51.1 percent, followed by fifth graders at 48.7 percent, and fourth graders at 46.8 percent.

Chronic Absenteeism

Statewide, the chronic absenteeism rate was 26.6 percent last school year – an improvement compared with 29.3 percent the previous year.

A total of 511 schools across the state (70 percent) lowered their chronic absenteeism rates and 341 schools (47 percent) lowered their rates by at least 10 percent.

Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10 percent or more of school days.

Nevada is among 16 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., participating in The 50% Challenge, an initiative launched by Attendance Works, EdTrust, and Nat Malkus with AEI to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50 percent over five years.

Science Assessments

Nevada elementary school students saw a 3.9 percentage-point gain in science compared with the 2023-24 school year.

Middle school students showed a 0.2 percentage-point increase, while high school students had a 3 percentage-point increase.

Other highlights:

• Douglas County School District made the largest gains in elementary school at 10 percentage points over the previous year.

• For eighth grade science, Storey County School District had the highest proficiency rate at 58 percent. Douglas County made the largest gains at 5.3 percentage points over the previous year.

• Storey County School District made the largest gains in high school with a 32.8 percentage-point increase over the previous year.

Graduation Rate

Nevada’s high school graduation rate for the Class of 2024 increased to 81.6 percent compared with 81.4 percent the previous year.

In 14 of Nevada’s 17 school districts, as well as the State Public Charter School Authority, students graduated at a higher rate than the state average.

Ten school districts showed increases in graduation rates: Esmeralda, Carson City, Clark, Douglas, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Washoe, and White Pine.

School Designations

The Nevada Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan describes the entrance and exit criteria for the three federal school-level designations for improvement: Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI).

CSI schools are those in the bottom fifth percentile of Title I schools for all students or have a graduation rate of 67 percent or lower.

• A total of four schools exited from CSI identification in 2025: Two elementary schools, one high school, and one high school was redesignated MRI.

• A total of 15 new schools were identified as CSI in 2025: 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. 

There is also a school designation label of More Rigorous Interventions (MRI) for schools that have remained in CSI designation for three full years. These schools are designated as MRI in the fourth accountability year.

• There is one new MRI school. A total of 11 MRI schools were exited in 2025. A total of 35 of the 47 MRI schools that were identified in the 2024 school year remain under the designation.

TSI schools do not meet the criteria for CSI or ATSI but have one or more consistently underperforming student group.

• A total of 67 schools were identified as TSI in 2025: 14 elementary schools, 45 middle schools, and eight high schools. 

ATSI schools have one or more student groups that meet the criteria used to determine the bottom fifth percentile CSI designation.

• A total of 56 new schools were identified as ATSI in 2025: 41 elementary schools and 15 middle schools.

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About the Nevada Department of Education

The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates with Nevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators. Learn more at https://doe.nv.gov/ and join us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.