EDITORIAL: CCSD enrollment drop shows families want school choice

What’s best for students and what’s best for the Clark County School District aren’t always the same.

The new school year began with optimism — and fewer students. The district estimated its enrollment will be fewer than 286,000 students. That’s a substantial decline from the 2018-19 school year, when classrooms were packed with more than 330,000 students.

The district’s current enrollment is its lowest since the 2004-05 school year. In 2004, the population of Clark County was 1.7 million. In 2024, the estimated population was more than 2.4 million. Even accounting for the nation’s ongoing fertility woes, something else is going on.

Part of the answer is charter schools, which are tuition-free public schools run by outside groups. These entities have more freedom in how they operate schools. That flexibility comes with increased accountability. Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools have to earn their enrollment. Also, underperforming charter schools can be and have been shut down. When is the last time a regular public school was closed for poor performance?

The results speak for themselves. Charter schools consistently produce better results than traditional public schools. Little wonder that charters have seen their enrollment skyrocket. From the 2019-20 school year to the 2024-25 school year, the number of students in Clark County availing themselves of this option jumped 26 percent. Last year, that total was more than 64,000 students. That’s close to the enrollment of the Washoe County School District, which is the second-largest district in the state.

Charter schools aren’t the only option for parents. These numbers suggest that many have also embraced homeschooling and private schools. The Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University estimates that 6 percent of Nevada children were homeschooled during the 2023-24 school year. That’s more than twice as many as pre-pandemic. Statewide, around 22,000 students attended a private school last year.

Add this up, and it’s likely more than 100,000 students in Nevada receive an education outside of traditional public schools. This should be viewed as a major educational victory in a state that isn’t known for them. Even at the cost of time, money or both, families are actively searching for the best educational fit for their children.

If education were all about helping students, the next step would be obvious. Democratic legislators would abandon their reflexive opposition to school choice and their fealty to the hidebound education establishment. They would join with Gov. Joe Lombardo in expanding educational options. Instead, many Democrats want to impose onerous new restrictions on charter schools.

That is precisely the wrong approach. Families are already voting with their feet. Lawmakers should give Nevada’s parents more education choices or Nevada’s parents should support those who will.