The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Empire Elementary
Empire Elementary sits on Monte Rosa Drive in Carson City, Nevada's state capital, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Carson City School District. The school draws from a community where state government is the dominant employer, with healthcare, retail, and tourism rounding out the local economy. Carson City itself occupies Eagle Valley on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, a short drive south of Reno and close to Lake Tahoe. The city is largely car-dependent, with the most walkable pockets clustered around the downtown Capitol core. Residential development has been pushing north and west, and the district's schools are spread across the city rather than concentrated in one area.
The student body at Empire is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller share of white students and a few from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. A little over half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a moderate-to-high poverty range for the region. The enrollment is mid-sized for an elementary school, with fairly even distribution across the grade levels from kindergarten through fifth, plus a pre-kindergarten program. The data did not include special education or English learner counts, so those population shares are not available here. A parent wanting to understand the full composition of the school would need to ask the district directly for that information.
On state assessments, Empire's results sit in the lower range. In math, roughly a quarter of tested students in grades three through five reached proficiency or above. English language arts was somewhat stronger, with just under three in ten students meeting that bar. Science proficiency was lower still, with fewer than one in five tested students demonstrating proficiency. Participation was high across all three subjects, which means nearly all eligible students were tested and these results reflect the school broadly rather than a partial sample. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible from this information to say whether performance is moving in a particular direction. Average scale scores were also missing from the data provided. These proficiency levels are below what most families would hope to see, and a parent considering Empire may want to look into what instructional supports and interventions the school has in place for reading and mathematics, particularly in the earlier grades where foundational skills are built.
The housing market around the school tells its own story about affordability. Home values in the school's zip code run above both the Nevada state benchmark and the national benchmark, and the price-to-income ratio sits well above what most households can comfortably manage. Renting is substantially more affordable than buying at current mortgage rates, which is a pattern families will notice when weighing where to live within the Carson City district. Rents have been edging up modestly, and home values have shown slight year-over-year appreciation. The broader economic picture includes a stable unemployment rate and a median household income that has been climbing slowly over the past several years.
Carson City School District itself was searched for recent parent-relevant changes such as curriculum overhauls, tax shifts, or bond measures, but little of lasting impact surfaced. The district operates as a consolidated entity with the municipality, and its schools serve as one of the area's larger employers alongside state government and Carson Tahoe Health. Empire Elementary does not carry magnet or charter status; it is a regular public school serving its neighborhood attendance zone.
For families considering this school, the picture is mixed. The community offers a capital-city setting with genuine outdoor recreation access and a stable employment base tied to government work. The school itself serves a diverse, working-class student population in a supportive district context, but the academic proficiency data points to real challenges in both literacy and numeracy. Families whose children thrive with individualized attention, or who value a school where the majority of students share a Hispanic cultural background, may find a good fit here, particularly if they are prepared to supplement academic support at home. A conversation with the principal about how Empire is working to move its proficiency numbers would be a reasonable next step.
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