Enrollment at state-authorized charter schools continues to outpace growth at traditional public school districts in Nevada, official enrollment counts show.

Washoe County School District (WCSD) remains Nevada’s second largest public school district, but the gap between it and the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA), the quasi-district that authorizes the vast majority of charter schools in the state, has narrowed to fewer than 650 students.

Last year, the enrollment gap between the two local education agencies was around 2,800 students.

SPCSA now enrolls 63,609 students while WCSD enrolls 64,244 — a difference of 635 students. SPCSA grew its enrollment by 2.7%. WCSD saw its enrollment drop by 511 students, or 0.8%.

WCSD and SPCSA enroll 13.3% and 13.1% of Nevada public school students, respectively.

In January 2024, the state Charter School Board approved the opening of a charter school in Northern Nevada despite strong opposition from WCSD, which argued that the school was planned for an area where existing public schools were not overcrowded and that the charter school had not provided them or the public with enough time to review and provide input on the plans.

This Is Reno earlier this month reported that WCSD plans to lobby for legislation discontinuing the use of educational management organizations (EMOs), a move that would likely curb growth of charter schools in Northern Nevada. 

EMOs are often involved with charter schools from their inception, helping constitute the board that applies for the charter school license from the state and helping set up the lease for the building. Once the charter school is open, EMOs third-party services like payroll, human resources management, or curriculum in exchange for a percentage of the per-pupil student dollars the schools receive from the state.

The majority of charter school students in Nevada are associated with schools contracted with the same EMO, Florida-headquartered Academica.

SPCSA enrollment has more than doubled in the last eight years, growing from around 30,600 students in 2016 to around 63,600 in 2024. The SPCSA has already approved multiple charter schools to open or expand next year, putting them on a clear path to overtake WCSD in overall enrollment.

Enrollment in charter schools is expected to continue to rise, though some of that growth may be outside of the SPCSA. Earlier this year, the cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas received approval from the state to become charter school authorizers.

Both cities have indicated they plan to authorize and open charter schools for the 2025-26 school year. The cities will also have the option of absorbing existing charter schools that are currently authorized by the SPCSA. If those plans come to fruition, their enrollment would not count toward SPCSA totals but would raise the overall number of students served by charter schools instead of traditional public schools.

Clark County School District remains the state’s largest school district, by far, enrolling 306,038 students, or 63% of kids enrolled in public schools. CCSD enrollment dropped by 3,359 students, or 1%.

All other public school districts in Nevada make up a combined 10% of statewide enrollment.

The Nevada Department of Education conducts official enrollment counts around Oct. 1 each year. The numbers are used for funding purposes and mandatory reporting. They also provide a snapshot of student enrollment in public schools over time. The count does not include private school enrollment, which is reported separately, or home school enrollment, which is not aggregated at the state level in Nevada.

The Nevada DOE’s 2024 report on private school enrollment has not been made public yet. But last year’s report, which reflected the 2023-24 academic year, showed 22,810 students enrolled in private schools in Nevada. That is equivalent to 4.7% of public school enrollment this year.

Charter school critics have long argued that their enrollment does not reflect the broader student population, particularly when it comes to economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, and students classified as English language learners. The Nevada State Legislature in recent years passed legislation designed to ensure charter schools were enrolling these students and not just targeting students who need the fewest resources and would be successful at any school.

Updated enrollment data shows SPCSA schools moving in the right direction but still lagging behind in terms of overall percentages.

SPCSA schools saw gains in the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch (FRL) — a metric used to identify students to identify lower income households. This year, 63.9% of SPCSA students qualify for FRL, compared to 50.9% last year and 46.4% the year before.

Statewide 85% of public school students qualify for FRL.

SPCSA schools saw much smaller gains when it came to increasing its percentage of English language learners (ELL) and students with disabilities, who have individualized education plans (IEP). ELL students make up 10.3% of students at SPCSA schools, up from 10%. IEP students make up 10.7% of students at SPCSA schools, up from 10.4%.

Statewide 14.4% of public school students are classified ELL and 14.1% have IEPs.