79 CCSD Schools Made the Superintendent's Honor Roll, and Four Schools Did Something Rare

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

The Clark County School District added 79 campuses to the Superintendent's Honor Roll for academic achievement during the 2025-26 school year. A school could qualify in one of two ways. It could earn a five-star rating on the Nevada School Performance Framework, which is the state's one-to-five star rating system, sometimes called Nevada's Report Card. Or it could improve its index score on that framework by 10 points or more. The district calls the second group "Star Momentum" schools.

The math works like this. 32 schools earned five stars. 51 schools gained 10 or more index points. Four schools were on both lists, so the total comes to 79 different campuses.

Superintendent Jhone Ebert explained the idea behind the honor roll to News 3: "We want to recognize our schools in the same way we recognize students." News 3 reported that principals received achievement awards at a celebration at Las Vegas City Hall, and principals of five-star schools also received a banner to hang at their school. The date of the ceremony was not given.

The four schools that did both

Blue Diamond Elementary School, in the small village of Blue Diamond west of the valley near Red Rock Canyon
Judy and John L. Goolsby Elementary School, in Summerlin's Ridgebrook village
Green Valley High School, in Henderson
Glen C. Taylor Elementary School, on Siena Heights Drive in Henderson

The 32 five-star schools

Advanced Technologies Academy; Blue Diamond Elementary; John W. Bonner Elementary; College of Southern Nevada High School East; CSN High School South; CSN High School West; Coronado High; Marshall C. Darnell Elementary; East Career and Technical Academy; Roger D. Gehring Academy of Science and Technology; Judy and John L. Goolsby Elementary; Green Valley High; Barry and June Gunderson Middle; Frank Lamping Elementary; Las Vegas Academy of the Arts; Lied STEM Academy; Jack and Terry Mannion Middle; Gordon McCaw Elementary; Estes M. McDoniel Elementary; Moapa Valley High; Northwest Career and Technical Academy; Mike O'Callaghan Middle School i3 Learn Academy; Palo Verde High; Clarence A. Piggott Academy of International Studies; Sig Rogich Middle; James E. and A. Rae Smalley Elementary; Southeast Career and Technical Academy; Southwest Career and Technical Academy; Evelyn Stuckey Elementary; Glen C. Taylor Elementary; Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy; and West Career and Technical Academy.

The 51 Star Momentum schools (up 10 or more index points)

Rex Bell Elementary; Blue Diamond Elementary; Bonanza High; Eileen B. Brookman Elementary; Roger M. Bryan Elementary; Marion Cahlan Elementary; Chaparral High; Cheyenne High; Ed W. Clark High; Clyde C. Cox Elementary; Cynthia Cunningham Elementary; Jack Dailey Elementary; C.H. Decker Elementary; Desert Rose High; Desert Pines High; Harvey N. Dondero Elementary; Durango High; Eldorado High; William E. Ferron Elementary; Global Community High; Judy and John L. Goolsby Elementary; Green Valley High; R. Guild Gray Elementary; Fay Herron Elementary; Mervin R. Iverson Elementary; Jay W. Jeffers Elementary; Legacy High; Ann Lynch Elementary; John F. Miller School; Mojave High; Morris Sunset East High; Joseph M. Neal Elementary; Nevada Learning Academy at CCSD; D'Vorre and Hal Ober Elementary; Dean Petersen Elementary; Aldeane Comito Ries Elementary; Richard J. Rundle Elementary; J.D. Smith Middle; C.P. Squires Elementary; Helen J. Stewart School; Sheila Tarr Academy of International Studies; Joseph E. Thiriot Elementary; Sandra Lee Thompson Elementary; Sunrise Mountain High; Myrtle Tate Elementary; Glen C. Taylor Elementary; R. E. Tobler Elementary; Vincent L. Triggs Elementary; Valley High; J. Marlan Walker International Elementary; and Western High.

Student raising a hand in class, a picture of the academic growth behind CCSD's Star Momentum schools

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

For families, this list is useful because it shows two different kinds of good news. The five-star list tells you which schools are at the top of the state's scale right now. The Star Momentum list tells you which schools are getting better fast. Both matter, and they answer different questions. A five-star school is a strong school today. A school that jumped 10 or more points is a school with something working inside it, whether that is new leadership, better teaching plans, more parent support or all three.

The four schools that did both are the rare case where a school was already at the top and still grew a lot. Look at how different they are. Blue Diamond Elementary is a small village school with a long history. The CCSD Archives say the Blue Diamond School began in 1929, and the current village building was finished in 1942. The Nevada Department of Education also reported that Blue Diamond Elementary was named a 2024 National ESEA Distinguished School, in the category for exceptional student performance and academic growth. Goolsby Elementary is a Summerlin neighborhood school in the Ridgebrook village. Green Valley High is a large comprehensive high school in Henderson. Glen C. Taylor Elementary serves families on the Henderson side of the valley. A small village school, a Summerlin elementary, a big Henderson high school and a Henderson elementary all made the same short list.

For homeowners, the honor roll is quiet good news. When a zoned school earns five stars or posts a big gain, it gives buyers one more reason to look at that neighborhood. School ratings are not the only thing that drives home values in Clark County, and usually they are not the biggest. Location, condition, lot size and the monthly payment carry most of the weight. But when buyers compare two similar homes, the school line on the listing can tip the decision.

For renters and for parents thinking about a magnet or career academy, the five-star list is full of options. Several of the five-star schools are magnet or career and technical academies, such as Advanced Technologies Academy, Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, and the East, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, Veterans Tribute and West Career and Technical Academies. Those programs take applications, so where you live does not decide whether your child can attend. That is worth knowing if you are choosing between neighborhoods and want flexibility.

Background and History

The Nevada School Performance Framework rates every public school in the state each year. Schools earn points across measures such as test results, academic growth and other factors, and the total becomes an index score. That index score turns into a star rating from one to five. The state publishes the results on the Nevada Report Card website, where anyone can look up any school.

The Superintendent's Honor Roll is CCSD's way of calling out schools at the top of that system and schools that moved up the most. The rules for getting on the list have changed over time. FOX5 reported that the 2025 honor roll welcomed 91 schools. That year, schools qualified with a five-star rating on the 2024-25 framework, a gain of two or more stars, or an increase of 20 or more points in their adjusted index score. This year's rules use a 10-point gain instead, which is part of why the list looks different. That means you should not compare the 79 schools this year to the 91 last year as if they were measured the same way.

The honor roll also follows the bigger star rating release from September. That release showed that most CCSD schools with comparable data held or improved their ratings. The honor roll takes that same data and turns it into a list of names, which is a lot easier for parents to use. Some schools on the list have big stories behind them. Marshall C. Darnell Elementary, now on the five-star list, went from one star to five stars in two years, which we wrote about in Darnell Elementary Went From 1 Star to 5 Stars in Two Years.

Teacher standing in front of a group of young children, the kind of classroom work behind five-star school ratings

What the honor roll does not tell you. The list is a good signal, but it leaves some things out. It does not show class sizes, the programs a school offers, how long teachers have stayed, or what the campus feels like on a normal Tuesday. It also does not tell you about schools that just missed the cut. A school that gained 9 points, or one that sits at a strong four stars, is not on this list, and it may still be a great fit for your child. Use the honor roll to start your search, then dig into the details for each school you are considering.

It also helps to know that elementary, middle and high schools are rated on different measures. A high school's rating includes things like graduation rates that an elementary school does not have. So a five-star elementary and a five-star high school earned their stars in different ways. When you compare schools, compare them to others at the same level. And if a school is new, has changed its grade levels, or tested only a small group of students, its numbers may not line up neatly from one year to the next.

Colorful elementary school classroom with blue chairs and student materials, like the CCSD elementary schools on the honor roll

What Happens Next

The star ratings and index scores are updated once a year. The next round of results, based on the 2026-27 school year, would normally come out next fall, though the release date has not been announced. Between now and then, schools on this list will be working to hold their ratings, and schools that missed it will be working to get on it.

For families planning a move, the honor roll is a good starting point, not a final answer. The real next step is checking the zoning for any address you are looking at. CCSD sets attendance boundaries, and they can change as new schools open and neighborhoods grow. A home that feeds one school today might feed a different school after a rezoning. Always confirm the zoned schools for the specific address with the district before you count on them.

It is also worth watching the Star Momentum schools next year. A school that jumped 10 or more points this year has momentum. If it keeps climbing, its star rating may follow. If you are buying in a neighborhood with one of those schools, that trend is worth knowing.

Ryan's Take

When families ask me about schools, I tell them to look at two things: the rating and the direction. A five-star school is great. But a school that just jumped 10 or more points is telling you something too. Something is going right there, and it often shows up in the neighborhood before it shows up in home prices. I like seeing Goolsby in Summerlin and Taylor and Green Valley in Henderson on the short list of four, because those are neighborhoods where many of my buyers already look.

I also want families to use the honor roll the right way. It is one tool, not the whole picture. Visit the school. Drive the route at drop-off time. Talk to a parent at the park. Check the zoning for the exact address. And remember that ratings come out once a year based on the year before, so the school your child would attend next fall may look a little different than the number on a listing today. If school is high on your list, I am happy to help you match homes to the zones you care about.

Bright school hallway with ceiling lights, like the campuses families tour when buying near top-rated Clark County schools

What You Can Do

First, look up your school. The full list of 79 schools is above. If your child's school made it, congratulate the teachers and staff. A short note to the principal goes a long way. If your school did not make it, look it up on the Nevada Report Card website to see its rating and how it changed. You can compare it to other schools near you.

Second, if you are planning a move, start with the list and narrow it down. Make a short list of the schools you like, then look at homes zoned to those schools. Confirm the zoning for every address with CCSD before you make an offer. If you are open to a magnet or career academy, check the application timeline early, since those programs have their own deadlines.

Third, get involved. Join the school's parent group, volunteer for an event, or go to a school organizational team meeting. Schools that climb usually have parents in the building.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com