Summerlin's Vassiliadis Elementary Has About 80 Percent Proficiency, Roughly Double the District

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

On October 14, 2026, FOX5 Vegas reporter Alexis Fernandez published a story on Vassiliadis Elementary, a Clark County School District school in Summerlin. The headline said it plainly: teacher and parent involvement drive success at a top-ranked Summerlin school.

The key number comes from the Nevada Report Card, the state's public website for school data. It shows students at Vassiliadis reach roughly 80 percent proficiency in English language arts and math. FOX5 described that as double the district average. In plain terms, about 8 in 10 kids at this school are meeting the state's grade-level standard in reading and math. Across CCSD as a whole, the share is about half that.

The school has about 1,100 students. It opened 10 years ago, which makes it one of the newer elementary schools in the valley. It is also described as consistently ranked among the top public elementary schools in the state.

Jennifer Aznarez became principal this year. She told FOX5 that the school's success comes from three things working together. First, teacher and parent involvement. Second, instruction that is challenging and engaging for kids. Third, fundraising. Aznarez said the school raises a lot of money, and that every dollar goes to classrooms and staffing.

FOX5 also talked with Rachel Levandusky, a fifth-grade teacher who has been at Vassiliadis since the day it opened. She said supportive leadership and the school's culture are the reasons she has stayed for a full decade. She also explained how teachers use data. Each grade level gives common assessments, and teachers use the results to move every student to the next level. That applies to kids who are ahead and kids who are behind.

Parents are a big part of the picture, too. According to the report, families give their time, resources, and donations. They also work as teammates with teachers when it comes to setting goals for each student.

Silhouette of a child reading a book outdoors at sunset, a reminder that reading at home supports reading proficiency at school

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

For families, a school's numbers are not just a report card. They shape daily life. They affect how much help a child needs at home, whether parents pay for outside tutoring, and how confident a family feels about the next school year. When about 80 percent of students are on grade level, that is a strong sign the classroom basics are in place.

For homeowners, school strength connects to demand. Many buyers with kids start their home search by looking at schools first and houses second. In Summerlin, where families are a big share of the buyer pool, a well-known public elementary school can be a reason someone picks one street over another. I am not going to put a dollar figure on that, because there is no verified local number for this school. But anyone who has shown homes to families knows the school question comes up early, and it comes up often.

There is also a bigger message here for the whole valley. CCSD gets a lot of tough headlines. This story is a reminder that strong public schools exist inside the district, and that the same district is home to schools that are improving fast. FOX5 noted that 32 CCSD schools earned five-star ratings last school year. Another 51 schools improved their scores by at least 10 points, and four schools did both. The district also saw proficiency gains in math, English, and high school science.

That matters if you are a parent in Spring Valley, Henderson, or North Las Vegas, too. The lesson from Vassiliadis is not "move to Summerlin." It is that the things driving results here, like teachers who stay, parents who get involved, and money that goes straight into classrooms, are things any school community can work on.

Teachers benefit from stories like this as well. A school where teachers feel supported and choose to stay is a school that keeps getting better. When a fifth-grade teacher says she has stayed a full 10 years because of leadership and culture, that tells you something real about the place. For families, it means the teacher your oldest child had may still be there when your youngest arrives. That kind of steady staff is hard to measure, but parents notice it.

And if you are a renter or a first-time buyer, this is useful context. Strong schools are not only found in the most expensive parts of town. Knowing how to read school data puts you in a better spot no matter your budget.

Background and History

Vassiliadis Elementary opened about 10 years ago in Summerlin, the master-planned community on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley. Summerlin has kept adding neighborhoods for decades, and new schools have opened as families moved in. Vassiliadis is part of that growth story. Its current size, about 1,100 students, tells you how many young families live in the area it serves.

The proficiency number in this story comes from the Nevada Report Card. This is the state's official public tool for school data. It shows test results, star ratings, enrollment, and more for every public school in Nevada. Parents can look up any school there for free. Proficiency means the share of students who met the state's standard on the annual tests in English language arts and math.

Nevada also rates schools on a one-to-five star scale. Five stars is the top rating. The 32 CCSD schools that earned five stars last year reached that mark under the state system, according to the FOX5 report. FOX5 did not list a star rating for Vassiliadis in this story, so I will not state one here. You can check the school's current rating yourself on the Nevada Report Card site.

Student in a red hoodie and headphones working on a laptop with a pencil in hand, similar to how elementary students practice for state assessments

One more piece of background is worth knowing. Teacher turnover is a long-running challenge for schools across the country, and Clark County is no exception. That is part of why a teacher like Rachel Levandusky staying 10 years, since day one, stands out. Long-tenured teachers know the families, know the curriculum, and help new teachers settle in. It is not a flashy factor, but it shows up again and again when schools explain their results.

How to Read a Proficiency Number

A proficiency rate is easy to misread, so here is a quick guide. It is not an average grade. It is the percent of students who scored at or above the state's grade-level standard. So when we say about 80 percent at Vassiliadis, that means roughly 8 out of 10 tested students met or beat that bar. The other 2 in 10 are still working toward it.

It also helps to look at more than one number. A school can be strong in reading and a bit lower in math, or the other way around. The Nevada Report Card breaks results out by subject and by grade, so you can see the full picture. Looking at a few years in a row is smart, too. One good year is nice. Several good years in a row tells you the results are steady.

Finally, remember that test scores are one piece of a school. They do not show you how kind the staff is, how safe kids feel, or how much your child will enjoy going each day. That is why a visit and a talk with other parents still matter.

Fundraising is the other piece. Public schools get their core funding from the state and the district. Parent groups and school foundations can add to that. At Vassiliadis, the principal said that money goes straight to classrooms and staffing. The FOX5 report did not give a dollar total or name specific programs, so we do not know the exact amounts.

What Happens Next

The 2026-27 school year is underway, and Jennifer Aznarez is in her first year as principal. The real test for any new leader is keeping a strong school strong. Based on what she told FOX5, the plan is to keep doing what has worked: lean on teachers, keep parents involved, and keep putting fundraising dollars into classrooms.

The next set of state test results will show whether the school holds near that 80 percent mark. Those results are posted on the Nevada Report Card when the state releases them. Parents who want to track progress can check the site each year and compare Vassiliadis to other schools nearby and to the district average.

District-wide, it is also worth watching whether the gains FOX5 mentioned keep going. More five-star schools and more schools jumping 10 or more points would be good news for families all over Clark County. That is the same week CCSD reported that 20,120 students earned qualifying AP scores, which shows some momentum at the high school level as well. At the same time, some families are frustrated with new bell times and late buses, and a few have left for homeschool. Both stories are true at once, and both are worth following.

Ryan's Take

I talk with families moving to Summerlin all the time, and the school question almost always comes first. Stories like this one help, because they go past a single number. A good score is nice. Knowing why a school gets that score is better. At Vassiliadis, the answer is teachers who stay, parents who help, and money that lands in the classroom. Those are the same things I would tell any buyer to look for when they tour a neighborhood.

Here is my honest advice, though. Do not buy a home based on a school's reputation alone. Attendance zones can change, and the school a listing says it is zoned for is not always the one your child will attend. Always confirm the zoning for the exact address with CCSD before you write an offer. And if you can, visit the school, talk to the front office, and ask other parents what they think. A school that is working, like this one appears to be, will be happy to tell you about it. If you are weighing a few Summerlin neighborhoods and want help sorting out which homes feed into which schools, that is exactly the kind of homework I like doing with my clients.

Laptop, open notebook with notes, and a backpack on a wooden table, the school gear Summerlin families pack each morning

What You Can Do

If you are a Summerlin parent, the simplest step is to get involved. The Vassiliadis story shows that time matters as much as money. Volunteer for a classroom event, join the parent group, or simply ask your child's teacher how you can help set goals at home. Reading with your kids every night is one of the easiest ways to support English proficiency.

If you are shopping for a home, use the free tools. Look up any school on the Nevada Report Card to see its proficiency rates and star rating. Then use the CCSD zoning lookup on the district's website to confirm which schools serve a specific address. Do both before you fall in love with a house. Visit the school in person if you can. A tour or a chat with the office staff will tell you things a website cannot.

Questions to Ask on a School Tour

If you get a chance to visit a school before you buy, here are a few simple questions to bring along. They come straight from what the Vassiliadis team said drives their results:

How do teachers use test results to help kids who are ahead and kids who are behind?
How long have most of the teachers been here?
What does the parent group do, and how can new families get involved?
Does the school raise money, and where does that money go?
How do teachers and parents work together on goals for each child?

You do not need perfect answers. You are listening for a school that knows its students and has a plan. A principal who can explain how the school works, in plain words, is usually a good sign.

If you are a parent somewhere else in the valley, take the lessons from Vassiliadis to your own school. Ask how your school uses assessment data. Ask where fundraising dollars go. Ask how long teachers tend to stay. These are fair questions, and good schools have good answers. And if your school is one of the 51 that improved by 10 points or more last year, that is worth celebrating, too.