LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In an effort to raise graduation rates across the state, Governor Joe Lombardo is signing the Keeping Kids in School Act on Thursday at C.C. Ronnow Elementary School in Las Vegas.
The bill allocates $2 million to Communities in School of Nevada, a dropout prevention organization that operates in 107 schools in the state. Since its inception, CIS has served more than 71,600 students in Clark County. The money would add 15 more schools under the CIS Nevada umbrella.
Nevada has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country with Clark County as the fifth-largest school district in the U.S. In 2019, the Nevada Department of Education reported that 85% of Nevada students graduated or earned their GED. In 2020, Nevada graduated 83% of its students. The pandemic continued to decline the graduation rate with only 80% of students graduating in 2021. The rate slightly ticked upward with 81% of Nevada students graduating in 2022.
Communities in Schools of Nevada reports that 94 percent of the students who are enrolled in the program graduate from high school. The organization procures resources from local businesses and organizations that serve the community. Funding received from the Keeping Kids In Schools Act will go towards adding 15 more Nevada schools to its operation beginning with the 2023-24 school year.
Governor Lombardo will sign the Keeping Kids in School Act at 9 a.m. in a ceremony on the elementary school’s campus.
