As a new school year begins, officials see hope amid challenges | Education

School bells will start ringing again across Southern Nevada as Clark County School District students begin a new school year Monday.

As students return to the classroom, CCSD will have its first school year under Superintendent Jhone Ebert, who was named to the position in March. She now oversees a district facing declining enrollment, traffic safety concerns and aging school buildings.

An increasing number of parents are opting for educational alternatives such as charter and private schools, decreasing CCSD’s enrollment. Last school year, the school district recorded a funded enrollment count of 296,145. According to the school district, the amount of registered students for the 2025-2026 school year is 285,707, which is the lowest in over 20 years.

While enrollment has gone down, the district said it has improved on recruiting and retaining educators and support staff. CCSD officials said 97 percent of classrooms are expected to have licensed teachers, compared to 94 percent of classrooms last year.

As of May 1, the district reported having 19,518 licensed professionals and 14,704 support professionals. Going into this year, the district will have 19,381 licensed professionals and 14,215 support professionals, according to CCSD data from Aug. 1.

Ebert’s first full year

Fresh into her role as district superintendent, Ebert said she is looking to see higher classroom morale and build trust within the community.

“We want to make sure that we have academic success and that we have joy in the classroom,” she said.

To Ebert, academic success is measured inside and outside of the classroom. She said she wants students to know how to communicate and collaborate, so they are prepared for leaving the district whether that be in college, post secondary programs or the workforce, she said.

“We know only about 30 percent of our kids go on to college, and we know that they can also be successful in the workforce here within Clark County,” she said. “Our job is to make sure when they graduate they have the skill set to build a home, a life and a future.”

Traffic safety

Community members have expressed concerns over traffic safety, and on Aug. 20 a coalition of local municipalities, called the School Traffic Safety Working Group, will meet to work on a unified approach to traffic safety in school zones.

“We’re going to sit together around the table, break down silos to make sure that we implement better safety around all of our schools,” Ebert said.

Parents can expect an increased police presence during the first two weeks of school.

“We partner with all the other departments — Metro, North Las Vegas, Henderson — to get as many officers in those school zones on the way to and from school,” Clark County School District Police Department Lt. Michael Campbell said.

School police public information officer Lt. Bryan Zink confirmed school district police officers and officers from other valley police departments will be present at arrival and dismissal during the first week. Police will keep a presence at as many schools as possible the second week, he said.

Municipalities across Clark County have been working to increase the presence of crossing guards in school zones. Elementary and middle schools in North Las Vegas, Henderson and unincorporated Clark County have crossing guards.

In Las Vegas, all CCSD elementary schools have crossing guards. This year, the city added crossing guards at Arbor View High School after student McKenzie Scott, 18, was fatally struck by a suspected DUI driver while she was in a crosswalk on North Buffalo Drive near the school.

Campus updates

Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction has been completed in time for the new school year.

CCSD rebuilt six schools: Hancock Elementary School, Dearing Elementary School, Bracken STEAM Academy, Garside Junior High School, Woodbury Middle School and Brinley Middle School. An email from CCSD said the new campuses include flexible learning spaces, new instructional technology and enhanced safety and security.

The combined cost for all six projects totaled around $380 million, according to Brandon McLaughlin, CCSD’s chief of facilities.

South Career and Technical Academy, CCSD’s newest $150 million magnet school at Gilespie Street and East Starr Avenue, will welcome its first class of students Monday. And up on Mount Charleston, Lundy Elementary School will reopen after flood damages forced its closure nearly two years ago.

In addition, CCSD said it spent $5 million over the summer to repair and replace components of HVAC systems at 37 schools. In a video from CCSD’s communications department, Felicia Gonzales, the district’s deputy superintendent of business operations, said the schools chosen for HVAC updates were based on the age of the school’s system, work order history and the frequency of system failures.

“The district is confident this investment will pay dividends for all 375-plus campuses by reducing the number of larger repairs so HVAC technicians are able to address smaller matters more efficiently and keep students and staff in their assigned classrooms so they can focus on learning,” Gonzales said.

Contact Megan Howard at mhoward@reviewjournal.com. Follow @meganmhxward on X. Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.