The Clark County School District is the fifth largest school district in the United States and is home to over 320,000 students and over 380 schools. The story of Las Vegas is always one of rapid growth and expansion. In 1956, the Nevada Legislature mandated a consolidation of the 14 unique school districts in Clark County to become one unified school district.
Prior to the forming of CCSD, schools acted independently. When the new school district was formed, enrollment was just over 20,000 students. At the time, the population of Clark County was only 103,000 residents.
Notable schools that were open prior to the Clark County School District forming include:
- Las Vegas High School
- Basic High School
- Rancho High School
- Basic Elementary
- Blue Diamond Elementary
- Sunrise Acres Elementary
- Freemont Elementary
- Crestwood Elementary
- Las Vegas Grammar School
- Boulder City Elementary
- Boulder City Junior/Senior High School
The history of schools in the Las Vegas Valley
The first school classes in the Las Vegas Valley were held in a small house in September of 1856. But the first known licensed teachers wouldn’t arrive for nearly three decades later.
As the Valley expanded, more schools and school districts were established. Some of the early districts include:
- Railroad Pass School District, which eventually formed into the Henderson School District in 1944.
- Blue Diamond School District
- Boulder City Union
- Boulder City High School
- Educational Consolidated District 1
- Moapa Valley High School
- Virgin Valley High School
- Eldorado School District
- Enterprise School District
- Garnet School District
- Goodsprings School District
- Basic High School
- Indian Springs School District
- Las Vegas Union
- Las Vegas High School
- Paradise School District
- Searchlight School Districts
- Sloan School Districts
- Whitney School Districts
District name changes, buyouts, and geographic shifts were common in that day until the Clark County School District unified the school system under one district in 1956.
With the physical unification of the districts also came the benefit of one education program. Before the Clark County School District, each district was responsible for its own curriculum and rules.
Clark County School District today
The Las Vegas area has seen its share of population booms. From 1990 to 2010, the population in Las Vegas grew from 741,000 residents to over 1.9 million.
Some years saw more than 16 schools open as classrooms continued to overflow. The Great Recession slowed the pace of construction, which caused further overcrowding by 2014 when the economic recovery was in full swing. Elementary schools were operating at 117 percent capacity, with some surpassing 200 percent.
Today, the CCSD has over 320,000 students across more than 380 schools. The district includes schools from 14 cities, including:
- Las Vegas
- Henderson
- North Las Vegas
- Boulder City
- Laughlin
- Blue Diamond
- Logandale
- Bunkerville
- Goodsprings
- Mount Charleston
- Sandy Valley
- Searchlight
- Moapa
- Indian Springs
Due to the continued rapid growth of the school district, CCSD split the district into three regions starting the 2019-2020 school year. Now, each region has a regional superintendent and leadership team.
Clark County School District transportation
The Clark County School District offers bus transportation to and from schools and other activities. Bus stop eligibility is based on the following:
- Walking distance
- Safety conditions
- Bus seating
- Bus routing
You can check if your child can access bus stops by searching the CCSD bus route page.
Students may be eligible to ride the public Regional Transportation Commission bus if no school bus is available and they live more than 2 miles from their zoned school.
Current members of the Board of School Trustees are:
- Linda P. Cavazos – President – District G
- Irene A. Cepeda – Vice President – District D
- Evelyn Garcia Morales – Clerk – District C
- Lola Brooks – District E
- Danielle Ford – District F
- Lisa Guzmán – District A
- Katie Williams – District B
Clark County School District superintendents
- R. Guild Gray, 1956-1961
- Harvey N. Dondero (interim superintendent), 1961
- Leland B. Newcomer, 1961-1965
- James Mason, 1966-1969
- Kenny Guinn, 1969-1978
- Claude G. Perkins, 1978-1981
- Charles Silvestri (interim superintendent), 1981-1982
- Robert E. Wentz, 1982-1989
- Brian Cram, 1989-2000
- Carlos A. Garcia, 2000-2005
- Walt Rulffes and Agustin Orci (interim co-superintendents), 2005-2006
- Walt Rulffes, 2006-2010
- Dwight D. Jones, 2010-2013
- Pat Skorkowsky, 2013–2018
- Jesús F. Jara, 2018–present
Maps, zoning, and reports
If you’re moving or new to the Valley, the following links will be helpful for you.