NevadaNevada

State Summary Report Card (PDF)
Complete State Report Card (PDF)

Performance Categories

Preparation

C

Improved

Nevada's fairly low performance in educating its young population could limit the state's access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy.

  • Eighth graders perform very poorly in math, science, reading, and writing.
  • Only 68% of Hispanics have a high school credential, compared with 91% of whites.

Participation

F

Improved

College opportunities for young and working-age adults are very poor.

  • The likelihood of enrolling in college by age 19 is very low, partly because the state has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country.
  • Ten percent of Hispanic young adults are enrolled in college, compared with 31% of whites.

Affordability

F

Not Improved

Higher education has become less affordable for students and their families.

  • Poor and working-class families must devote 37% of their income, even after aid, to pay for costs at public four-year colleges.
  • For every dollar in Pell Grant aid to students, the state spends 48 cents—an increase from two cents in 1993.

Completion

F

Improved

Nevada is one of the poorest-performing states in awarding certificates and degrees, but the state has improved over the decade.

  • Only 38% of college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years.
  • Thirty-six percent of Hispanics graduate within six years, compared with 41% of whites.

Benefits

D

Improved

A very small proportion of residents have a bachelor's degree, and this substantially weakens the state economy.

  • Seven percent of Hispanics have a bachelor's degree, compared with 26% of whites.
  • If all racial/ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $6 billion higher.

Learning

I

Like all states, Nevada receives an "Incomplete" in Learning because there is not sufficient data to allow meaningful state-by-state comparisons.

 

Change Over Time: Key Indicators

The following reflects Nevada’s performance and progress since the early 1990s on several key indicators.

Preparation

The percentage of young adults in Nevada who earn a high school diploma has increased slightly since the early 1990s. High school completion is well below the U.S. average and the top-performing states.

Participation

College enrollment of young adults in Nevada has improved since the early 1990s. Compared with the national average and the top states, substantially fewer young adults are enrolled in Nevada (in percentages).

The enrollment of working-age adults, relative to the number of residents without a bachelor’s degree, has declined in Nevada—as it has nationally and in the best-performing states. The percentage attending college in Nevada is below the U.S. average and well below the top states.

Affordability

The share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college has risen substantially. To attend public two-year colleges in Nevada, students and families pay more than the U.S. average. To attend public four-year colleges, they pay less than the national average but more than those in the best-performing states.

Completion

The number of undergraduate credentials and degrees awarded in Nevada, relative to the number of students enrolled, has increased since the early 1990s. However, Nevada is considerably below the U.S. average and the top states on this measure.

Benefits

The percentage of residents who have a bachelor’s degree has increased in Nevada, but is well below the U.S. average and the top states.