The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Silver Lake Elementary
Silver Lake Elementary sits in the northern reaches of Reno, serving kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Washoe County School District. It is a regular public school with a moderate enrollment for its grade band, and its student body is diverse: roughly half of the children are Hispanic, about two-fifths are white, and smaller groups identify as Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. A little over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is below what many urban elementary schools see but still points to a meaningful share of families living on modest incomes. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those population sizes remain unclear.
The school's most recent state assessment results, from the SBAC, show a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, roughly thirty-seven percent of tested students reached proficiency. Math was close behind at about thirty-five percent. Science told a different story, with only a small fraction of tested students clearing the proficiency bar, though far fewer students sat for the science exam, which typically reflects only fifth-grade testing at an elementary school. Participation was high across all three subjects. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improvement, a decline, or a stable pattern. Parents comparing this school to others in the district may want to ask the school directly about its academic improvement plans, particularly in science, and about how it supports students who are approaching but have not yet reached proficiency.
Reno itself shapes the context around Silver Lake Elementary in ways worth understanding. The city has diversified well beyond its casino-and-gaming heritage into a regional technology and logistics hub, with publicly reported investments from companies like Tesla, Amazon, Panasonic, Microsoft, Apple, and Google. The University of Nevada, Reno adds an academic and cultural anchor. At the same time, Reno remains geographically large and largely car-dependent outside its downtown core, with a walkable concentration along Virginia Street and the Truckee River corridor. Growth has been steady, driven in part by Bay Area companies and workers seeking lower costs, and the broader housing market reflects that pressure. In the school's zip code, home values sit somewhat above the state benchmark and well above the national benchmark, while rents have been climbing year over year. For families weighing a purchase, the gap between monthly mortgage costs and rents is substantial, with renting currently the more affordable option by a wide margin.
Several pieces of information a parent might look for were not present in the data we received. There was no detail on programs, course offerings, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, or discipline at the school. Title I status was not reported. The district brief, which would normally capture curriculum or strategic changes in Washoe County, returned no results. And no neighbor comparison was available to position Silver Lake against nearby elementary schools. These gaps mean a parent would need to go to the school or the district directly for a fuller sense of how Silver Lake allocates resources, what enrichment or intervention programs it offers, and how it compares to peers in the immediate area.
What the data does show is a standard neighborhood elementary school in a growing, diversifying city, with solid test participation, middling proficiency results, and a student population that reflects Reno's mixed demographic character. The academic results are neither a red flag nor a standout, and the science scores in particular are the area most worth asking about.
See more original research from School Decision →