The top reported proficiency rate is 71% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Frias Charles & Phyllis Es
Frias Charles & Phyllis Elementary School sits in the southern reaches of Las Vegas, within the Clark County School District. It is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, and it draws a substantial enrollment for its grade band. The school's student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with white students forming the largest single group, followed by Hispanic students and a sizeable share of children identified as two or more races. Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students round out the population. Every student at Frias qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which marks the school as serving a community where economic need is universal rather than concentrated in a subset of families.
On the most recent Nevada state assessments, Frias posted results that stand out for an elementary school with this profile. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was strong, with a clear majority of tested students meeting or exceeding the state bar. Mathematics was nearly as solid, with most tested students reaching proficiency. Participation was high across both subjects. These are genuinely encouraging results, and they suggest that instruction in core reading and math is reaching children effectively.
Science tells a different story. The proficiency rate in science was well below the rates in math and English language arts, with fewer than a third of tested students reaching proficiency. Science at the elementary level is typically assessed only in upper grades, so the tested cohort is smaller, but the gap between science and the other two subjects is wide enough to warrant attention. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what science instruction looks like in the upper grades and whether the school has plans to strengthen it.
Several pieces of information that would help a parent round out the picture were not available. The school's individualized education program rate and English learner rate were both missing from the data we received. Title I status, which often accompanies a school where every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, was also not reported. No multi-year trend data was provided, so it is not possible to say from this data whether proficiency has been rising, falling, or holding steady over time. Attendance and staffing data were absent as well.
The housing market around the school's ZIP code has softened somewhat. Home values sit above the state benchmark and well above the national benchmark, but they have declined modestly year over year. Rents have dipped slightly as well. Renting in this area costs less per month than carrying a mortgage at current rates, which may matter to families deciding between buying and leasing. Median household income has been climbing nationally, and the broader Las Vegas economy reflects a labor market that has held relatively steady, with unemployment in a narrow range over the past year.
The Clark County School District is the governing district, and we searched for recent district-level changes that would matter to parents, such as curriculum shifts, policy updates, or budget decisions. The search did not return material of that kind, so rather than guess at what might be happening at the district level, we are naming that gap. A parent interested in district direction would do well to check Clark County's own communications directly.
What Frias looks like, in sum, is a large, economically disadvantaged, racially diverse elementary school that is producing solid results in reading and math, with a science result that lags behind. For a family whose priorities center on strong literacy and math foundations in a diverse peer environment, this school's data suggests it is doing meaningful work in those areas. The science question is the one that deserves a closer conversation.
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