Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Enrollment in the Clark County School District has dropped below 300,000 students, according to a presentation this week at the district’s Attendance Zone Advisory Commission meeting.
CCSD had 298,065 students as of Sept. 1, signaling a loss of 4,996 students, or a drop of 1.6%, from the same time last year.
Tracy Murphy, the director of demographics and zoning, said the decline was partially credited to a new state law moving the birthday cutoff for a child to enroll in kindergarten.
Children now must turn 5 on or before Aug. 1 to enroll in kindergarten anywhere in Nevada. Previously, they were required to turn 5 by Sept. 30.
After the change, 16,308 kindergartners were enrolled in CCSD this year versus 18,527 last year.
The presentation also showed high schools have the most crowded campuses in the district, with 17 schools enrolled at 110% of capacity or higher; four of those 17 were at 125% of capacity or higher.
Only 19 of the 200-plus elementary schools were above 110% capacity. None of the roughly 60 middle schools were.
These are the schools most over capacity:
High schools: Liberty (130%); Desert Pines (129%); Rancho (127%); Arbor View (126%); Sierra Vista (125%). Liberty, with 3,296 students, has the highest enrollment of a CCSD high school.
Middle schools: Mackey (107%); Cashman (106%); Guinn (106%); Webb (105%); White (103%).
Elementary schools: Indian Springs (162%); Piggott (141%); Grant Bowler (129%); Divich (127%); Gilbert (127%).
These are the schools furthest from capacity:
High schools: Northeast Career and Technical Academy (38%; a new school that’s not yet fully enrolled); Moapa Valley (50%); Virgin Valley (68%); Boulder City (74%); Cheyenne (81%); Silverado (84%).
Middle schools: Lyon (44%); Escobedo (53%); Burkholder (55%); Robison (56%); Molasky (57%).
Elementary schools: Goodsprings (15%); Reid (22%); Wendell Williams (51%); Craig (55%); Parson (59%).
CCSD’s reports only show overall building capacity, not individual class sizes.
Student farmers market
The semiannual Giant Student Farmers Market returns to downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday with produce grown by and crafts made by over 500 students from 40 Las Vegas-area schools.
The event at Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, will offer school garden-grown fruits, vegetables and herbs along with student-made crafts. A Formula 1 racing car also will be on display. The market is presented by the nonprofit Green Our Planet in partnership with Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick.
The event runs from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free.
Rogers Foundation scholarships
The Rogers Foundation’s scholarship applications are open again.
The Las Vegas-based foundation is offering $100,000 in scholarships in amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Winners can use them to attend any institution of higher education, including vocational or technical schools, community colleges or universities in or outside of Nevada, but they must be CCSD seniors or recent graduates.
The deadline is Feb. 4. See application criteria at therogers.foundation/scholarships.
CCSD traffic grants
The Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety has recently given the CCSD Police Department four grants.
A $150,000 grant will pay for a Zero Teen Fatalities coordinator. The Zero Teen Fatalities program allows police to educate inexperienced young drivers on seat belt use, focused and sober driving, speed and keeping a cool head.
A $148,000 grant will cover CCSDPD’s participation in Joining Forces, a high-visibility, multijurisdiction statewide effort to increase safety on Nevada’s roads by increasing enforcement and awareness of traffic laws.
A $65,000 grant will pay for additional speed enforcement in school zones. And an $11,000 grant will certify school police officers as Safe Kids International car seat technicians, who can properly install child car seats and can identify and correct any issues with them.
Money will also be used to buy car seats for infants, toddlers and older children who need booster seats. These seats will be free to the public.
