Editor’s Note: This is a combination of a Nevada Independent story — which did all the heavy lifting, data wise — and a Carson Now story which focuses on the local data.
Scroll down to see the local data breakdown, or click the red button below to be taken directly to the Indy story, which has interactive charts and breakdowns of every school and district in the state.
Want to know how your neighborhood school is doing?
The Nevada Independent put together tools to see how each Nevada public school is doing in reading and math proficiency — and how it’s trending over time. You can also see each school’s star rating, a five-tier system that measures overall performance, and how your district fared under a new grading system.
It’s based on new data released last week by the Nevada Department of Education that shows reading and math proficiency staying largely flat after years of gains.
There was also some backsliding in schools’ star ratings, which are graded on metrics such as students’ academic achievement in core subjects, chronic absenteeism and English language proficiency. High schools are also graded for their graduation rates and their students’ college and career readiness.
Schools with lower performances or with low performing subgroups of students can receive additional support.
Click here to view the interactive tables where you can search for your individual community’s schools and see where they land across the state!
Carson Now’s look at the local data:
Carson City School District was one of only three of the 18 school districts in the silver state to receive a Level 3 District Rating — and only one of two of the state’s geographic school districts to do so (excluding the State Public Charter Authority).
Washoe County, Douglas County, Lyon County and Storey County all received Level 2 ratings.
Douglas County received high marks in their district-wide star rating, landing at second place on the statewide ranking, while Storey received third place.
Nevada’s new District Performance Framework rating combines student results with measures of how a district operates.
The student-results portion looks at the percentage of students passing state math and English tests, how much their test scores improved, high school graduation rates and whether the district reduced its number of 1- and 2-star schools.
The district-operations portion examines how many classrooms have licensed teachers trained for the subjects they teach, whether low-income schools have access to qualified teachers at rates comparable to other schools, whether schools use state-approved reading and math materials, how many high school students take advanced or career-focused courses, and whether the district is financially stable.
The 2025-26 ratings are the first issued under the new system and are intended to show districts where they are doing well and where they need to improve, without penalties attached. Beginning with the 2026-27 ratings, the state plans to add specific goals for early reading, middle school math, high school graduation and the percentage of students earning advanced diplomas.
How do the local districts rank statewide?
- 7th of 16 districts in math: 31.5% proficient
- 8th of 16 in reading: 39.4% proficient
- 9th of 17 in star ratings: 2.5 stars
Average 2026 star rating: 2.5 stars, down from 2.9 in 2025.
Elementary schools: Averaged 2.6 stars, 34.3% math proficiency and 39.1% reading proficiency.
Middle schools: Averaged 2 stars, 25.1% math proficiency and 37.6% reading proficiency.
Carson High School: Received 3 stars, with 24.7% math proficiency and 45% reading proficiency.
Districtwide proficiency: Schools averaged 31.5% in math and 39.4% in reading.
Year-over-year change: Math fell 2.5 percentage points and reading fell 1.2 points from 2025.
State comparison: Carson ranked approximately 7th of 16 districts in math, 8th of 16 in reading and 9th of 17 in average school stars.
- 11th of 16 districts in math: 23.6% proficient
- 13th of 16 in reading: 31.8% proficient
- 13th of 17 in star ratings: 2.1 stars
Average 2026 star rating: 2.1 stars, up from 2 stars in 2025.
Elementary schools: Averaged 1.8 stars, 28.7% math proficiency and 32.6% reading proficiency.
Middle schools: Averaged 1.4 stars, 19% math proficiency and 26.4% reading proficiency.
High schools: Averaged 3.4 stars, 15.4% math proficiency and 35.6% reading proficiency.
Districtwide proficiency: Schools averaged 23.6% in math and 31.8% in reading.
Year-over-year change: Math increased 2.2 percentage points and reading increased 1.8 points from 2025.
State comparison: Lyon ranked approximately 11th of 16 districts in math, 13th of 16 in reading and 13th of 17 in average school stars.
Note: Math results were unavailable for Yerington High School and Smith Valley Combined Middle School.
- 3rd of 16 districts in math: 40.5% proficient
- 2nd of 16 in reading: 53.5% proficient
- 2nd of 17 in star ratings: 3.2 stars
Average 2026 star rating: 3.2 stars, up from 3.1 in 2025.
Elementary schools: Averaged 3.1 stars, 43.8% math proficiency and 55.9% reading proficiency.
Middle schools: Averaged 3 stars, 35.1% math proficiency and 46.5% reading proficiency.
High schools: Averaged 3.7 stars, 37% math proficiency and 55.7% reading proficiency.
Districtwide proficiency: Schools averaged 40.5% in math and 53.5% in reading.
Year-over-year change: Math fell 1.7 percentage points, while reading increased 2 points from 2025.
State comparison: Douglas ranked approximately 3rd of 16 districts in math, 2nd of 16 in reading and 2nd of 17 in average school stars.
In addition, Lake Schools continue to outpace valley schools, but the gap narrowed this year:
- Lake Schools (3): 4.0 star average, 42.7% math proficiency (decreased from 52.1%), 57.1% reading proficiency (decreased from 59.6%).
- Valley Schools (9): 3.2 star average, 39.7% math proficiency (increased from 38.8%), 52.4% reading proficiency (increased from 48.9%).
Proficiency results were unavailable for ASPIRE High School and Douglas Online Middle School, so those averages cover 12 of Douglas County’s 14 rated schools.
- 4th of 16 districts in math: 37.2% proficient
- 5th of 16 in reading: 45.4% proficient
- 6th of 17 in star ratings: 2.8 stars
Average 2026 star rating: 2.8 stars, essentially unchanged from 2.8 in 2025.
Elementary schools: Averaged 2.8 stars, 41.3% math proficiency and 46% reading proficiency.
Middle schools: Averaged 2.4 stars, 27.3% math proficiency and 39.9% reading proficiency.
High schools: Averaged 3.4 stars, 31.4% math proficiency and 49.8% reading proficiency.
Districtwide proficiency: Schools averaged 37.2% in math and 45.4% in reading.
Year-over-year change: Math was essentially unchanged, falling 0.1 percentage points, while reading increased 0.6 points from 2025.
State comparison: Washoe ranked approximately 4th of 16 districts in math, 5th of 16 in reading and 6th of 17 in average school stars.
Math results were available for 108 schools, reading results for 110 schools and star ratings for 115 schools.
- 8th of 16 districts in math: 31% proficient
- 3rd of 16 in reading: 52.3% proficient
- Tied for 3rd of 17 in star ratings: 3 stars
Average 2026 star rating: 3 stars, up from 2.8 in 2025.
Elementary schools: Averaged 2.5 stars, 33% math proficiency and 47.6% reading proficiency.
Virginia City Middle School: Received 3 stars, with 28.1% math proficiency and 44% reading proficiency.
Virginia City High School: Received 4 stars, with 30% math proficiency and 70% reading proficiency.
Districtwide proficiency: Schools averaged 31% in math and 52.3% in reading.
Year-over-year change: Math fell 4.8 percentage points and reading fell 0.3 points from 2025.
State comparison: Storey ranked approximately 8th of 16 districts in math, 3rd of 16 in reading and tied for 3rd of 17 in average school stars.
Storey County received a Level 2 district rating. Because the district has only four schools, each school has a substantial effect on these unweighted averages.
