Education Week: Nevada schools move up spot in national ranking, but still second to last

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(Noell Evans) – For the first time in five years, Nevada's public schools no longer rank last in a national study. They rank next to last.

Education Week released its latest look at the public education systems in all 50 states plus Washington D.C.

The report looked at three critical areas within each states' public education system – the chance for success, school finances, and K-12 achievement.

The Nevada Public School system educates just under half a million students (K-12). It operates on a budget of $2.3 billion. The state currently spends an average of $9,200 per student, ranking 47th for per-student spending.

“We set a goal to become the fastest-improving state in the nation and the latest ranking in the Quality Counts report card demonstrates that Nevada is headed in the right direction,” Jhone Ebert, superintendent of Public Instruction in Nevada, said. “With education policy changes in place and additional investment in education in recent legislative sessions, I’m confident that our teachers will continue to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for all of Nevada’s students.”

Overall in the September Quality Counts report, Nevada was given a score of 66.9 (out of 100) points. In “teacher-terms,” that equates to a D+. In comparison, the national average was 76.5 points for a C.

Ebert indicated though that a small start is still just a start.

“We are in no way satisfied, and we know we have a long way to go,” she said.


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Noell Evans | The Center Square