By 2031, every Clark County School District student will be graduating with skills and experiences to set them up for success in their careers.

The Clark County School District’s plunging enrollment is a trend with no end in sight. Projections show that school funding could drop by nearly a quarter-billion dollars by 2030 as fewer students enroll to fill district classrooms.

For decades, the Clark County School District was one of the fastest growing school systems in the nation, buoyed by a booming gaming and tourism industry and low housing costs. Just seven years ago, when enrollment peaked, the district boasted 335,333 students in its classrooms. Then came the decline.

Middle school students can expect to take more exams starting next school year, according to a document sent to some Clark County School District principals earlier this month. The exams, scheduled to be administered in mid-December and mid-May, will test students’ knowledge in math, English language arts, science and social studies. The tests can be worth of up 20 percent of a student’s final semester grade in the subject being tested, the document states.

Jennifer Wolf’s third grade son is a vocal student with a budding interest in fairness and social awareness, she told The Nevada Independent. On multiple occasions, she said “he has approached his teachers to talk through situations and share his perspective on how certain classroom moments unfolded.” Wolf’s view is increasingly popular: Enrollment in Nevada’s state charter school network is up 2.3 percentage points this year. When Nevada’s State Public School Charter Authority (SPCSA) was founded in 2011, it oversaw approximately 11,000 students. Today it oversees more than 70,000.

A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card.

When Principal Anthony Nuñez first arrived at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas three years ago, the school was in crisis. About 40 percent of the school’s 100 teacher positions were vacant — causing larger class sizes and a heavy reliance on long-term substitute teachers.

Megan Griffard’s early education career included a stint teaching at Mojave High School before she left to pursue her doctorate out of state. She returned in 2022 to find the Clark County School District battling a staggering 1,367 vacant teaching positions.