Report: Nevada’s student dropout rate held steady last year

By Cy Ryan

Monday, Aug. 15, 2011 | 5:24 p.m.

Nevada's student dropout rate remained at 4.2 percent during the 2010-2011 school year, according to a report card compiled by the state Department of Education.

Clark County's dropout rate was 4.8 percent, highest among Nevada's 17 districts.

"I didn't see a big change from the previous year," Keith Rheault, state superintendent of public instruction, said of the report released today. "The transiency rate has slowed. Not as many people have left. More have stayed."

The statewide graduation rate for 2010-2011 was 70.3 percent. In Clark County it was 68.1 percent.

Among graduates, 72.3 percent, or 16,979, received a standard diploma and 16.7 percent, or 3,922 students, earned an advanced diploma. In Clark County 80.6 percent, or 13,101 students, earned a standard diploma. But only 8.2 percent, or 1,327, got an advanced diploma.

The dropout rate in Clark County was highest among minorities -- 7.2 percent for American Indian students, 6.2 percent for African American students and 5.5 percent for Hispanic students.

The report card put spending at an average of $8,515 per student statewide, compared to the $7,757 in Clark County. Much of that is due to the way the state allocates its support to districts. Clark County's per pupil state support is the lowest in Nevada.

Clark County has 10.2 percent of its students with disabilities; 23 percent with limited English proficiency and 50.8 percent qualify for a free lunch. The report also found violent incidents involving students statewide numbered 7,733, of which 5,088 occurred in Clark County. Clark County reported 101 violent incidents involving staff, with the state reporting 196 such incidents.

There were 437,057 students enrolled statewide of which 309,749 were in Clark County.