THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTS ABOUT EDUCATION IN DOUGLAS COUNTY

On the very special day of the Douglas High School graduation, Marty Swisher, former Douglas High School Principal, shared that graduation day is his favorite day besides Christmas because a diploma is like “giving away something no one can take away from you”.  He also shared with the Rotary Club of Minden some insights on the amazing job the staff and students are doing in Douglas County in the area of academics and graduation rates.

Swisher, a graduate of Douglas County Schools, left the area to attend college and teach for 9 years in Arizona before deciding that Douglas County was calling him home.  He spent 3 years as an administrator at CVMS, 12 years at DHS and 3 years at Aspire before moving into the Adult Education area to help kids get their diplomas and instructing for the Western Nevada College’s Jumpstart program at Douglas High School.  While the State of Nevada’s education ranking in the U.S. is not high due to low per pupil funding, social-economic factors and high transiency rates, Swisher shared the positive results we are seeing in Douglas County - a county with just slightly over 1% of the students in the state.

According to Swisher (and the Nevada Department of Education at www.nevadareportcard.nv.gov/di/), Douglas County Schools are doing well in the following areas:

• Math test scores in Douglas County indicate that 64% of students in grades 3-8 are at or approaching the standard compared to the state rate of 57%.  

• English Language Arts test scores are at 66% at or approaching the standard compared to the state rate of 64%.

• ACT test rates are 19% for eleventh graders in Douglas County and Nationwide which compares to the state rate of 18%.

• The graduation rate in Douglas County is 86% (nearly identical to the nationwide rate) compared to the state of Nevada at 81%.  

• Chronic Absenteeism (students missing 10% or more of the school days) is 20.5% locally compared to the state rate of 29.3% and national rate of 19%.  This rate was much lower for Douglas County prior to COVID.

All of this despite the fact that per pupil spending in the county is $13,000.  Statewide it is $12,000 per student which is 46th in the nation.

Areas of challenge and focus in the school district are in three areas.  These areas include making up for the instructional loss due to COVID (nationwide studies  show that most kids are still a half of a school year behind), attendance (research shows that when students are with teachers, they learn and are engaged) and declining enrollment.  While the population in the county is increasing, K-12 enrollment is declining due to the older population moving in and the high cost of housing.  Where DHS normally had over 400 graduates each year when Swisher was Principal, today’s 311 graduates is quite a bit lower.

The strengths in the district are numerous.  Swisher shared his top three: 

• CTE (Career Technical Education) courses continue to expand to match the needs of the local manufacturers.  The recent announcement of the fire services program is an excellent example.

• Continuing to foster a safe and positive learning environment.

• AP (Advanced Placement) courses continue to be very strong and scores far exceed the national averages.

Congratulations to the class of 2025 - may you go out into the world and make Douglas County proud!