Education

Rural Education

In rural Nevada, we believe there is nothing more important than the safety and education of the children in our community. Our teachers, administrators and staff members are all highly qualified and dedicated to each and every child enrolled in our schools. Rural school districts, by and large, are the hub for community activity and create an environment that encourage student participation, ownership, and civic pride.

Although a majority of rural Nevada students are enrolled in traditional K-12 public schools, other options are available for parents and students to ensure academic success. Nevada’s Charter Schools are public schools that are funded by the state and governed by the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) to ensure high standards and serve the students in the best possible manner. In addition, rural Nevada enjoys the support of religious based private schools that are licensed by the Nevada Department of Education and promote both academic and spiritual growth along the student’s scholastic journey.

Rural Advantages

Smaller community-based school districts enjoy a great deal of liberty resulting in less bureaucracy and the ability to determine best practices for their student population. Some school districts in rural Nevada have catered to local mining schedules to enhance family cohesion by adopting a four day school week. Teachers and staff members in these districts participate in PLC (Professional Learning Communities) one Friday a month to ensure the best educational experience for their students.

Most school districts are relatively small with an average enrollment of roughly 1,000 K-12 students. Rural teacher to student ratios average approximately 21 to 1 allowing for more individualized instruction, personalized learning, and positive social interactions.

Family Friendly Schools

Most rural Nevada school districts offer multiple after school programs to 1st – 8th grade students while various sports programs encompass a large portion of 6th – 12th grade extracurricular activities. Most school districts welcome and encourage parental participation and have an open door policy which allows parents and guardians to visit in their child’s classroom throughout the school year.

Rural Nevada school districts have developed Parent Involvement & Resource Centers (PIRC) that offer K-12 support & volunteer opportunities for parents, grandparents & guardians where families have access to technology centers, lounge areas, district wide event calendars, play areas for younger children and educational resources that can be borrowed for use at home. In addition, rural districts have adopted and maintained a thriving K-8 WATCH D.O.G.S.© (Dads Of Great Students) program that encourages positive male role models who volunteer in their child’s school at least one day each school year. Lander County School District was the first northern Nevada school to adopt the national program over five years ago and have supervised the implementation of the program to multiple districts throughout rural Nevada.

Great Basin College

Since 1967, Great Basin College has proudly served 86,500 square miles of rural Nevada. Covering two time zones and ten of Nevada’s largest counties, GBC offers Bachelor and Associate degrees, Certificates of Achievement, and Skills Certificates. GBC has partnered with local industry to offer Career and Technical Education (CTE) and training to address evolving workforce demands. In addition, GBC proudly boasts the #1 Nursing Program in the State of Nevada according to RegisteredNursing.org.

Aside from offering a quality adult education, GBC also provides a dual enrollment program to High School Students who are looking to get a jump start on their college education.

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Great Basin College’s primary campus is in Elko with Centers located in over a dozen communities across the college’s service area.

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