It’s back-to-school time for Summerlin students

Twenty-four schools have already opened, or will open, their doors for more than 35,000 students on the first day of school in Summerlin. The 12 public and 12 private schools in Summerlin include 10 percent of the Clark County School District’s highest-ranking public schools and many of the valley’s top-performing and nationally ranked private schools.

“The vision for Summerlin began with goals for a hallmark quality of life that included a quality education in the community,” said Kevin Orrock, president of Summerlin and vice president of master-planned communities for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin. “These goals continue to be met as is evidenced by the state’s recent rankings, in which 11 of 12 public schools in Summerlin ranked 4 or 5, the two top scores under the new school-assessment system created by the Nevada Department of Education.”

Summerlin schools that received the top ranking of 5 stars are Bonner, Givens, Goolsby, Ober and Staton elementary schools, Faiss and Rogich middle schools and West Career and Technical Academy.

Summerlin’s first public school, Lummis Elementary, received 4 stars, along with Bryan Elementary and Becker Middle School.

Besides the top-ranked public schools, Summerlin’s private schools lead the pack in well-rounded student education, Orrock said.

“It’s literally part of the master-planned community’s design,” he said. “The original planners and developers of Summerlin were so committed to education that they donated 40 acres of land to build the first school, The Meadows School.”

The Meadows, a private college preparatory academy, opened in Summerlin in 1986, three years before the first family moved into Summerlin.

“The Meadows set the bar for education in this community,” Orrock said.

Other private schools include The Adelson Educational Campus, Faith Lutheran Middle and High School, The Alexander Dawson School and Bishop Gorman High School.

Families are drawn to Summerlin for other reasons besides the community’s great schools. It is home to more than 150 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin trail system, 14 houses of worship, nine golf courses, shopping centers, medical and cultural facilities and business parks.

Summerlin, which lies along the Las Vegas Valley’s western rim, encompasses 22,500 acres with about 6,500 acres still remaining to accommodate future growth within the master plan.

New homes are now selling in five villages. Ten homebuilders are offering 40 different floor plans in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to townhomes, condominiums and lofts — priced from the low $200,000s to more than $1 million. Custom homesites in The Ridges are priced from the $200,000s.

To see a complete list of Summerlin’s public and private schools and for additional information on Summerlin’s new homes and amenities visit www.summerlin.com or download the free new home finder app by searching “Summerlin” in your smartphone app store.