The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cadwallader Ralph Ms
Cadwallader Ralph Middle School sits in the far northwest reaches of Las Vegas, serving grades six through eight as a regular public school in the Clark County School District. The campus on Elkhorn Road draws from a zip code where home values run above the state benchmark and well above the national one, though both purchase prices and rents in the area have eased recently. For a family weighing this school, the academic picture is mixed but leans competent in literacy, and the student body is large and economically uniform in a way that shapes the whole experience.
State assessment results from the most recent year show ELA as the school's stronger subject, with a majority of tested students reaching proficiency. Math and science sit lower, with just under half of students proficient in each. Participation was high across all three subjects. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the data whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability. A parent may want to look into trend performance with the school directly, since the current snapshot alone cannot answer whether the school is gaining ground.
The enrollment is large for a middle school, and every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That universal economic need means the school operates with a student body where poverty is the norm rather than the exception, which can affect everything from classroom resources to the availability of enrichment and the kinds of pressures students carry into the building. The racial and ethnic mix is diverse, with white students forming the largest group, followed by a substantial Hispanic contingent and smaller but present Black, multiracial, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native populations.
Some data gaps are worth naming. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so the narrative cannot speak to how those populations are served or how large they are. No data on course access, staffing ratios, attendance, discipline, or school programs was available either. These are areas a parent would reasonably want to understand, and the absence here means the school or district should be contacted for detail rather than leaving the gaps as silent. Title I status was also not reported, though the universal free-or-reduced-price lunch rate suggests the school likely qualifies.
The surrounding community context is limited in the data provided. No locale brief was available for this part of Las Vegas, so details about neighborhood character, nearby amenities, or commute patterns are absent rather than assumed. The housing data tells a partial story: typical home values in the school's zip code sit above both the Nevada and national benchmarks, while estimated monthly mortgage costs exceed typical rents, meaning buying costs more per month than renting in this area. Both home values and rents have declined modestly year over year, which may reflect broader Las Vegas market softening rather than anything specific to this corridor.
At the district level, a search for recent Clark County School District policy, curriculum, referendum, or tax changes turned up nothing with lasting parent impact. The search results focused on county geography and government structure rather than school district operations, so there is no district-level change to report here.
What the data does support is a picture of a large, economically disadvantaged, racially diverse middle school where literacy outcomes are the relative bright spot and math and science are more middling. The school serves a community where housing is relatively expensive by state and national standards, and where all students share a common economic circumstance that defines the peer environment. Families considering Cadwallader Ralph would benefit from asking the school about its instructional trajectory over time, its support for special populations, and what programs or staffing details this data set does not capture.
See more original research from School Decision →