The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kendyl Depoali Middle School
Kendyl Depoali Middle School sits in south Reno along Wilbur May Parkway, serving grades six through eight as part of the Washoe County School District. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, drawing from the surrounding residential neighborhoods in a part of the city that has seen steady growth as Reno absorbs large-scale technology investment from companies that have established operations across the region.
The school enrolls a substantial student body for a middle school, with enrollment distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. The student population is diverse in composition. White students make up the largest single group, followed by Hispanic students, with smaller proportions of Asian, multiracial, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively modest, suggesting the school draws from a more economically stable catchment than many middle schools in the district. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those figures are absent here rather than implied.
On state assessments administered under Nevada's SBAC framework, the school's results tell a mixed but generally encouraging story. English language arts stands out as the strongest area, with well over half of tested students reaching proficiency. Science performance is similarly solid, with a clear majority of tested students meeting the standard. Mathematics is the softer spot, with somewhat fewer than half of students reaching proficiency. Participation rates are high across all three subjects. A parent weighing this school may want to ask about math support and intervention programs, since that is the area where the school's results trail its own reading and science numbers. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say from the provided data whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time. Average scale scores were also missing from the source data.
Reno itself is a mid-sized city that has been reshaped over the past decade by major employers in technology, logistics, and manufacturing. Companies including Tesla, Amazon, Panasonic, Microsoft, Apple, and Google have made large-scale investments in the metro area, publicly reported as transforming the regional economy. The University of Nevada, Reno adds an academic and cultural dimension to the city. Reno's downtown core, anchored by casino resorts and the Truckee River corridor, supports a walkable, event-driven streetscape with annual gatherings like Hot August Nights and the Great Reno Balloon Races. Beyond that core, the city spreads across a large geographic footprint, and most residential areas, including the one surrounding Depoali, are car-dependent. Proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada gives families access to outdoor recreation within a short drive.
The housing market in the school's zip code is expensive relative to both state and national benchmarks. Home values sit well above the statewide figure and higher still than the national one. The price-to-income ratio is elevated, pointing to stretched affordability for buyers. Rents have been rising year over year, while home values have held roughly flat with a slight decline. For families considering the area, this means the cost of living around the school is a real factor, particularly for those renting or buying at current mortgage rates.
Several categories of information that would help round out a parent's understanding were not available in the provided data. There was no locale classification, no Title I status, no discipline or attendance data, no staffing figures, and no course access or program offerings. The district-level brief for Washoe County returned no specific curriculum or strategic initiative details, so this account does not include district-level changes. A neighbor comparison was also absent, so the school's position relative to nearby middle schools could not be assessed here.
What the available evidence does show is a large, diverse middle school in a growing, tech-adjacent section of Reno, with solid reading and science outcomes and a math result that a family might want to explore further with the school directly.
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