City: Reno, NV

Category: Education

Telephone: (775) 348-0200

Address: 425 East Ninth Street

Description: The Washoe County School District (WCSD) serves more than 63,000 students. Within the Reno/Tahoe area, around 7,400 teachers, administrators, counselors, and others work in more than 90 schools. The average student/teacher ratio is 22.5 to 1 in the elementary grades, except first and second grades, where a state-mandated 16-to-1 ratio is maintained. To help remain in compliance with this state law, some first- and second-grade classrooms employ a team-teaching situation where two teachers are assigned to a class of 32 students. The middle-grade classrooms average a 26.2-to-1 student/teacher ratio, and the high schools maintain a slightly higher ratio. WCSD is the second largest district in Nevada, with overcrowding a continual issue. To meet the challenge of maintaining a reasonable student/teacher ratio, some elementary schools have volunteered to go on a year-round singletrack or multitrack schedule. All elementary school students are required by state law to take the Terra-Nova standardized test. In high school, seniors must pass state-mandated reading, writing, and math examinations to receive a high-school diploma, no matter what the student’s overall grade point average is. At the high-school level, WCSD oversees the Regional Technical Institute, which includes the Glenn Hare Occupational Center. The institute offers occupational and technical training to high-school students, including classes in electronics, computer-aided design, business systems, advanced child development, and many other occupational specialties. The WCSD also offers a magnet high-school program for juniors and seniors at a campus located at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in Reno. At TMCC, high-school students earn college credits while they finish their high-school graduation requirements. Even though the majority of WCSD’s schools are located in the Truckee Meadows, the district is responsible for one high school, one middle school, and one elementary school in Incline Village on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. To enroll a student in the WCSD, first contact the WCSD administration at the number listed to find out which school your home is zoned for. Then proceed to that school with the following documentation: your child’s immunization record, proof of residency, and proof of the child’s identity. A utility bill, a rental agreement, or a mortgage contract is acceptable as proof of residency. For child identification a birth certificate, a passport, or a baptismal certificate is sufficient. Another helpful document is a student’s most recent report card to help place the student in the proper class or classes. The WCSD provides bus service for K–12 if an elementary-aged student lives 1 mile or farther from his or her school; for middle-school students the distance stretches to 2 miles, and for high-school students it’s 3 miles. Nevada law requires that every child between the ages of 7 and 17 attend school. Kindergarten is not mandatory, but a student who does not attend kindergarten must be tested before entering the first grade.