CLARK COUNTY (KTNV) — A new Clark County School District report card shows graduation rates are on the rise and suspensions are dropping.
Some parents tell Channel 13 that it indicates a move in the right direction for our school system.
"I see a lot of students. I always go to her school and I see that everybody is really happy. Instead of doing homeschooling, it's just better going to school," said CCSD parent Jaime Palomares.
Palomares has a daughter in eighth grade. He says he's seen a change in her since the pandemic with kids getting back in the classroom.
"The first time they started going back to school, she didn't want to go back. She wanted to do summer school," Palomares said. "We kept on pushing it so she could go to school. Now, everything is going back."
Palomares says he credits the positive trends to a post-COVID school system.
On Tuesday, CCSD officials broke down its 2024 first quarter report to the Clark County Commission.
Some of the areas seeing the most change are graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, and student behavior.
You can read the full CCSD report below.
Chronic absenteeism is down this year about seven percent district-wide compared to the previous school year.
"We attribute the reduction to schools providing incentives for attendance, home visits being conducted by schools as well as the district's attendance enforcement officers," said CCSD Deputy Superintendent Melissa Gutierrez.
District-wide, there have been about 1,200 fewer suspensions. But when you break it down, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite all saw an increase.
Graduation rates are up 0.2% this year in the district, but Boulder City, Mesquite and unincorporated Clark County saw a drop.
Those stats are encouraging for parents like Palomares, who just want to see their children succeed.
"It's something really, really important that I talk to my daughter [about] every day. You know? That's all that I want for her is to keep up studying and graduate," Palomares said.
Parents who spoke with Channel 13 say they hope the positive trends continue and our local students are placed in the best possible position to succeed.
