Where you live in Clark County can determine a great deal about the quality of public school your child attends. With a district the size of a small country, the gaps between neighborhoods are real, measurable, and consequential for families making housing decisions today.
Clark County School District serves over 301,000 students across 242 primary schools, 60 middle schools, and 74 high schools. That sheer scale creates wide variation from one zip code to the next, making location one of the most important factors any Clark County family can consider when choosing where to put down roots.
The District at a Glance: Where Things Stand in 2025
There is genuinely good news coming out of Clark County. The Nevada Report Card released in September 2025 shows positive results when it comes to student learning, with more than 136 of CCSD’s nearly 370 schools improving their star ratings in the 2024-2025 school year.
48 CCSD schools earned 5 stars on the 2025 Nevada School Performance Framework, an increase from 28 schools in 2024. Fifty-four schools ranked at 4 stars, and 73 schools attained 3 stars. Progress is happening, though it is spread unevenly across the county.
Clark County public schools have an average math proficiency score of roughly 29 percent, compared with the Nevada public school average of 30 percent, and a reading proficiency score of about 44 percent, matching the statewide average. These district-wide numbers matter less than what’s happening in individual neighborhoods, which is exactly where zip codes come in.
89135 (Summerlin West): The Academic Flagship
According to October 2025 U.S. News and World Report rankings, Summerlin dominates the top spots for Clark County schools. Vassiliadis Elementary ranked first in the district and fifth statewide, and Sig Rogich Middle School earned the top district spot and ranked twelfth statewide.
Vassiliadis Elementary, located in The Paseos Village of Summerlin West, serves Pre-K through 5th grade and posts test scores showing 82 percent math proficiency and 76 percent reading proficiency, earning a 10 out of 10 rating on GreatSchools.
Unlike many Las Vegas neighborhoods where school quality varies block by block, Summerlin’s elementary schools consistently perform above state averages. The 89135 zip code, covering the western and central Summerlin villages, is the clearest example of that consistency at work. Source: U.S. News and World Report, October 2025; BillySellsVegas.com School Guide 2026.
89144 (Summerlin South and The Arbors): Consistency Across All Grade Levels
Ethel W. Staton Elementary School, located in The Arbors Village at zip code 89144, is an above-average public school with 907 students in grades Pre-K through 5 and ranks 59th out of 365 public elementary schools in Nevada.
Palo Verde High School, serving the Arbors Village area, ranks 19th in Nevada and in the top 20 percent nationally according to U.S. News 2024 rankings. Opened in 1996, the school has established itself as one of the best public high schools in Nevada.
Key highlights at Palo Verde include an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for rigorous college prep and 26 Advanced Placement courses, with test scores showing 71 percent of students proficient in English Language Arts and 42 percent in mathematics, both significantly above state averages. For families wanting strong schools from kindergarten through senior year, 89144 is hard to beat. Source: BillySellsVegas.com School Guide 2026; U.S. News and World Report.
89052 (Southeast Henderson): Top Performers Close to the Mountains
The highest-performing public elementary and middle schools in Clark County are in Summerlin and Henderson, according to the latest ranking of K-8 schools by U.S. News and World Report. Henderson’s southeast corridor, anchored by 89052, is a consistent presence at the top of those lists.
Billy and Rosemary Vassiliadis Elementary in Summerlin is first in the district and fifth in the state, while James and Rae Smalley Elementary, located in southeast Henderson within the 89052 area, ranks second in the district and seventh in the state.
Coronado High School, located at 1001 Coronado Center Drive in Henderson 89052, earns an A-minus Niche grade and a GreatSchools score of 7 out of 10, with an average SAT score of 1280 and an average ACT score of 26. This zip code delivers strong academic outcomes across all grade levels. Source: U.S. News and World Report, October 2025; Homes.com school data.
89044 (Inspirada, Henderson): Home to Nevada’s Top-Ranked School
Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Inspirada is a STEM-designated public charter school in Henderson. It has received the National Blue Ribbon School Award for the category of Exemplary High-Performing, making it the first charter school in Nevada to receive this honor.
Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Inspirada is ranked first in Nevada elementary schools and third in Nevada middle schools, according to U.S. News and World Report rankings. That’s a remarkable double distinction for a single campus.
At Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Inspirada, roughly 82 percent of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 84 percent scored at or above that level for reading. Because it’s a charter school, admission is not guaranteed by address alone, but families in 89044 still benefit enormously from proximity and familiarity with the lottery system. Source: U.S. News and World Report; Pinecrest Inspirada official site.
89141 (Southern Highlands): A Rising Contender in the Southwest
The 89141 zip code covering the Southern Highlands area of Las Vegas earns an overall Niche grade of B-plus and serves a population of approximately 44,500 residents, placing it among the top-ranked zip codes for families in Clark County.
Southern Highlands is a master-planned community in the southwestern corner of Clark County, and its schools benefit from the same recipe that helps Summerlin: planned infrastructure, higher household incomes, and engaged parent communities. The area feeds into some of the district’s better-performing elementary schools and is close to the high-performing Southwest Career and Technical Academy.
Southwest Career and Technical Academy is ranked 10th within Nevada by U.S. News and World Report, giving students in this zip code access to one of the valley’s most competitive specialized high school options. Families should verify attendance boundaries with CCSD directly, as magnet and career-tech academies often draw from across the county. Source: Niche 2025 Clark County ZIP Code rankings; U.S. News and World Report.
89128 and 89129 (Northwest Las Vegas): Solid Middle Ground
Among the best zip codes to live in across Clark County, the northwest Las Vegas area earns overall Niche grades of B-plus with populations in the range of 38,000 to 60,000 residents. These zip codes cover parts of the Centennial Hills and Lone Mountain corridor.
Northwest Career and Technical Academy is ranked ninth within Nevada, and it sits within this northwest cluster of zip codes. It gives families in the 89128 and 89129 areas access to a specialized, high-achieving high school that rivals what Summerlin offers at the comprehensive school level.
The elementary schools in this corridor generally perform above the district average, though results vary more than in Summerlin or southeast Henderson. It’s a reasonable choice for families who can’t quite afford the housing premium attached to 89135 or 89052 but still want access to quality public schools. Source: Niche 2025; U.S. News and World Report Nevada school rankings.
89014 (Green Valley, Henderson): A Proven Track Record
Green Valley, covered largely by zip code 89014 in Henderson’s established west side, has decades of reputation behind its schools. The neighborhood was one of Henderson’s first planned communities, and that history shows in school infrastructure and parent engagement levels.
Green Valley High School encourages parents to engage in their child’s education through parent nights, fundraising opportunities, and field trips, reflecting the kind of community involvement that typically correlates with stronger academic outcomes.
Elementary and middle schools in the 89014 corridor consistently score above the CCSD district average on state assessments, and the area remains one of the more affordable options that still delivers reasonably strong school quality. For families prioritizing value alongside education, Green Valley remains one of the sensible picks in the county. Source: U.S. News and World Report; Public School Review 2025-26.
89106 (Downtown/West Las Vegas): Home to an Elite Magnet High School
Not every high-performing school in Clark County is surrounded by affluent neighborhoods. Zip code 89106, covering parts of central and west Las Vegas, is home to one of the most acclaimed public high schools in the entire state.
Advanced Technologies Academy, located at 1411 Robin Street in Las Vegas 89106, earns an A-plus Niche grade and a perfect 10 out of 10 on GreatSchools. With 1,192 students, the school posts an average SAT score of 1260 and an average ACT score of 27.
Advanced Technologies Academy is ranked second within Nevada by U.S. News and World Report. It’s a magnet school that draws students from throughout the district by competitive application, meaning the zip code confers less automatic advantage than it might for a traditional neighborhood school. Still, students already living nearby face a shorter commute to one of Nevada’s best public high school programs. Source: Homes.com school data; U.S. News and World Report.
The Star Rating Trend: What the Data Is Telling Us
The Nevada Department of Education released star ratings under the Nevada School Performance Framework for the 2024-25 school year, showing that the number of five- and four-star schools increased compared with the previous year. In total, about 17 percent of schools earned a 5-star rating, up from roughly 11 percent during the 2023-24 school year.
The most significant change was a decrease in one-star schools, which dropped from 232 in 2023-2024 to 140 in 2024-2025. That’s a meaningful shift, not a rounding error, and it suggests the district’s investment in instructional materials and teacher retention is producing real results.
Beginning in 2022 and 2023, CCSD rolled out high-quality Tier I instructional materials in mathematics and English language arts. The district has also increased teacher retention and hiring, leading to the lowest number of classroom teacher vacancies in at least five years, with teachers now starting at more than $57,000 a year. These structural improvements benefit every zip code in the county, not just the top performers. Source: CCSD Newsroom, September 2025; Nevada Department of Education, September 2025.
What Families Should Actually Look For When Choosing a Zip Code
Star ratings classify school performance on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best. Ratings are calculated through categories like math and English language arts proficiency and growth, graduation rates, and student attendance. These are the metrics that matter most when comparing neighborhoods.
It is well known that the quality of education provided by public schools varies greatly from school district to school district, and from city to city. The quality of a child’s education can also vary significantly from neighborhood to neighborhood within any city or town. In a county as large as Clark County, that variation is especially pronounced.
The most reliable approach for any family is to check the Nevada Department of Education’s school performance data directly, cross-reference it with GreatSchools and Niche ratings, and verify attendance boundaries on the CCSD website before signing a lease or making an offer on a home. Ratings shift, neighborhoods evolve, and the best zip code for your family will ultimately depend on which school is actually zoned for the specific address you choose. The data gives you a strong starting point. The rest takes a little local research. Source: Nevada Department of Education; CCSD.net; GreatSchools.org.
