Clark County’s public education system has long struggled to meet the expectations of many Southern Nevadans.
Underperforming schools and test scores, an inability to attract and retain teachers, and ever-growing class sizes have frustrated the community.
However, it appears many of those trends have — at least — stabilized. Test scores and graduation rates are improving. Suspensions and expulsions are falling. And for the first time in years, the district began the school year with a teacher in every classroom.
At the same time, schools in Clark County and across the state are seeing declining enrollment rates. Estimates presented by district officials show CCSD enrollment will likely drop by more than 2,000 students by the end of the 2026-27 school year. Fewer students mean fewer employees. That includes upwards of a thousand fewer teachers in the classroom.
All of it is a challenge for Jhone Ebert, who is approaching the end of her first year as the district’s superintendent.
She says it's a departure from the recent past when CCSD was struggling to build schools fast enough.
"Finding educators, finding teachers, was our core business of making sure that we had the right staff. Now it is completely the opposite, but it's a positive part in stabilizing the staff at schools."
That decline in students also means less money for the district. Nevada funds K-12 education on a per-pupil basis, so with fewer students next year, CCSD officials are expecting a roughly $50 million decline in funding from the state and county.
Ebert said the district is reviewing its facilities plan to determine the best ways to save on costs.
"We have close to 1,500 portables in the Clark County School District," she said. "We won't need those portables anymore. Do we sell them off? Do we have other entities come in, like non-profits that partner with us, like the United Way or Communities in Schools?"
For more, you can read Ebert's interview in the May '26 issue of Desert Companion.
Guests: Jhone Ebert, superintendent, Clark County School District
