Public schools across the state are showing signs of improvement. That's according to the latest round of Star Ratings from the Nevada Department of Education.
This year, nearly a third of the state's public schools are now rated four or five stars, the top two scores in the state's five-star rating system. At the same time, the number of one-star schools shrank from 232 last year to 140 this year. It's a positive sign for a state that has seen its public schools struggle to gain ground in student achievement since the pandemic.
According to Nevada's interim Superintendent of Public Instruction, Steve Canavero, schools had a hard time addressing the needs of all students, especially those who were struggling before schools started shutting down in 2020.
"They came back and persisted in struggling," he said. "We were not meeting their needs. So, we were seeing a widening between high performing and low performing students, and that cuts across socioeconomic status, that cuts across race or any other demographic."
One thing that's helped is teacher pay raises. In 2023, policymakers approved a state budget that included two billion dollars earmarked for teacher pay raises. In 2025, lawmakers and the governor approved legislation that made the raises permanent, while also extending the raises to charter school teachers.
"The investment that the state has made and that the governor has made in education over the last few years has certainly had an impact," said Canavero. "I don't think we can deny that the reduction in the teacher vacancies in our largest school district and across the state has made an impact."
Policymakers also approved legislation this year that would extend Star Ratings to districts. Preliminary scores are expected next year.
Guests: Steve Canavero, interim superintendent of public instruction, Nevada Department of Education
