Nevada students made small English proficiency losses, math gains last year

Most Nevada students did not meet grade-level expectations in English and math last school year, new data from the Nevada Department of Education shows, continuing a long-lasting trend in the Silver State.

Students made small improvements in math proficiency, but scored slightly worse in English Language Arts proficiency during the 2025-26 school year, the data shows. Proficiency in the two core subjects is determined by scores on the end-of-year Smarter Balanced assessments, which students in grades 3-8 take.

“These results reflect progress made in recent years and show that there is significant work ahead to achieve the outcomes our students need to thrive in school and beyond,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Victor Wakefield said Monday.

Just 36.2 percent of students statewide were proficient in math, which is up 0.8 points from the 2024-25 school year, Wakefield said. However, he added, 45.2 percent of Nevada students were proficient in English Language Arts, down 0.4 points from the year prior.

Science proficiency, meanwhile, rose for high school students but worsened among elementary and middle schoolers, Wakefield said.

Proficiency rates lag behind the department’s new goals of 60 percent English proficiency among third graders and 40 percent math proficiency among eighth graders by the 2030-31 school year. Those rates currently sit at 44.4 percent for English and 27.9 percent for math, the data shows.

Wakefield said those two metrics are “very predictive grades for long-term success.”

“We’ve heard a lot about reading by grade 3, and then a lot of the math foundations need to be built by grade 8 for success in post-secondary, for higher-level math coursework, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) opportunities,” Wakefield said.

Wakefield also unveiled Nevada’s new district performance framework on Monday, showing that 15 of the state’s 18 school districts met or exceeded performance expectations. The framework was established through education reform legislation passed in 2025.

It was not clear on Monday whether the Clark County School District did or did not meet expectations, or how Southern Nevada students fared in English and math. Data for each district is expected to be released Tuesday.

“While schools are where students learn every day, districts play a critical role in whether schools have the people, resources, instructional support and systems in place that are needed for success,” Wakefield said. “The new district performance framework gives Nevada a clearer way to understand how districts are delivering for students.”

Fewer five-star schools, more one-stars

The number of one-star schools increased slightly from the prior school year, while the amount of five-star schools in Nevada saw a small drop, according to the state’s data.

The Nevada Department of Education rates schools on a one- to five-star scale based on factors like assessment results, chronic absenteeism and graduation rates.

Between the last two school years, five-star school count fell to 122 from 146, and one-star school count increased to 162 from 140. Since multiple factors influence a school’s star rating, Wakefield said it’s difficult to pinpoint broad trends in why star ratings change from year to year.

Asked if the latest proficiency results show whether big education investments — such as ones the state made in 2023 — were worthwhile, Wakefield said that these relatively flat proficiency changes should not discount improvements made in past years.

“I’m not reading a ton into the slight increase in math, or the slight decrease in (English),” Wakefield said. “I think we are where we are, and we need to go do significantly different things to ensure that all kids are achieving the grade-level expectations that we as Nevadans have said is what they need for a longer journey.

“There are no shortcuts,” he added. “This is a long game to improve teaching and learning.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.