The Clark County School District serves about 250,000 students in all of Clark County—a 7,927 square mile section of Nevada—which includes the city of Henderson. Schools in the entire district total 186 elementary, 51 middle, 38 high schools, 28 alternative schools, and 8 special schools or programs. The large system is divided into five regions; the population of Henderson is served by the Southeast Region. Several grants were recently awarded the school system: the Local Plan grant provides $40 million for expansion and improvements to programs serving students with disabilities; the Gear Up program will provide $845,000 towards efforts to decrease dropout rates, raise academic achievement in the high schools, and develop college preparatory coursework; and the Library Books grant will provide $253,000 for library purchases in the elementary and secondary schools. A variety of magnet schools exist throughout the district, in addition to English as a second language programs, vocational training, language immersion, and fine arts specialties. The school district is constantly expanding; in 2002 the district reported a "typical year" as including 14,000 new students, 12-14 new schools, and 1,300 new employees.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Southeast Region of the Clark County School District public schools.
Total enrollment: 58,268 (2003-2004)
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 39
junior high/middle schools: 12
senior high schools: 9
other: 1 vocational trade center
Student/teacher ratio: 18:1 elementary; 30:1 secondary
Teacher salaries (2004-2005)
minimum: $37,354
maximum: $57,480
Funding per pupil: $5,501
Public Schools Information: Clark County School District, 2832 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121; telephone (702)799-5011
Henderson offers residents several major institutions of higher learning. The Community College of Southern Nevada (CCSN) system, with a campus in Henderson, educates more than 30,000 students in occupational training, university transfer preparation, continuing education, developmental education, and counseling and guidance programs. CCSN's top disciplines include dental hygiene, culinary arts, computing and information technologies, resorts and gaming, nursing and other health professions, automotive technology, air conditioning, and criminal justice. The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in nearby Las Vegas enrolls more than 20,000 area residents and confers undergrad, graduate, and doctoral degrees. UNLV also has a School of Dental Medicine and a School of Medicine; both educate students as well as provide low-cost health care to residents. Also in Las Vegas, the International Academy of Design & Technology offers twoand four-year programs in Fashion Design, Interior Design, and Visual Communications.
The Henderson District Public Libraries operates four branches throughout the city and served nearly 700,000 visitors in 2004 with holdings of about 289,000 items in all branches. The newest of the branches, the Paseo Verde Library, was constructed in 2002 and houses a Genealogy Collection, a Government Documents Collection, library administrative offices, and a Friends of Henderson Libraries Bookstore and Coffee Shop.
The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District serves more than 850,000 area residents in all of Clark County with 24 branches and a comprehensive resource of informational materials. The district's Green Valley branch resides in Henderson. The Community Colleges of Southern Nevada library system, as well as the University of Nevada Las Vegas libraries, are available for public use as well.
The Desert Research Institute's (DRI) main research campus in Las Vegas carries out about 300 scientific research projects at any given time. Environmental research programs focus on three core divisions of atmospheric sciences, earth and ecosystems sciences, and hydrologic sciences. DRI maintains a library that is available to researchers and scholars. A variety of other specialized libraries and research centers are located in the area.
Public Library Information: Henderson District Public Libraries, 280 S. Green Valley, Henderson, NV 89012; telephone (702)492-7252