How to Read a School's Academic Growth Percentile (AGP)

How to Read a School's Academic Growth Percentile

Proficiency rates are where most parents start. What percentage scored at grade level in math and ELA? That's fair, but it misses something important. A school can post great proficiency numbers because it enrolls kids who were already ahead — not because it's doing great teaching. The Academic Growth Percentile is what cuts through that.

What the Academic Growth Percentile Measures

The Academic Growth Percentile (AGP) measures how much each student's test scores improved from one year to the next compared to students who had the same score the previous year. In other words, it compares a student's progress to the progress of their academic peers statewide — students who started in the same place.

A student with an AGP of 70 performed better than 70% of Nevada students who scored at the same level the previous year. An AGP of 50 means the student grew at exactly the median rate compared to similar students.

Why This Matters More Than You Might Think

Consider two schools:

• School A has 80% ELA proficiency. It serves a high-income community where most families have access to tutors, enrichment programs, and college-educated parents who read at home every night.
• School B has 50% ELA proficiency. It serves a low-income community where 30% of students are English language learners. But its students are growing at the 75th percentile compared to academic peers statewide.

School B is almost certainly doing better teaching. Its students start further behind and move faster. School A's numbers might have more to do with its zip code than its classrooms.

AGP is how the NSPF rewards schools for the growth they generate, not just the achievement level they inherit.

How to Find AGP Data in Nevada

Nevada calculates AGP separately for ELA and Math for grades 4 through 8, where year-over-year comparisons are possible with Smarter Balanced Assessment data. The NSPF uses AGP as one of its six scoring components under Academic Growth.

On NevadaSchools.org, each school's NSPF profile includes the Academic Growth Percentile for ELA and Math where data is available. Some schools — particularly high schools, alternative programs, and schools with very small student populations — may show N/A because the calculation requires a minimum number of students with two consecutive years of test data.

How to Interpret What You See

• AGP above 60: The school is growing students faster than most comparable students statewide. This is a meaningful positive signal, especially if raw proficiency is not yet high.
• AGP around 50: Median growth — typical for a steady, functioning school.
• AGP below 40: Students are growing more slowly than academic peers. This warrants looking closely at other metrics before choosing the school.

The Combination That Matters Most

The best signal in the NSPF data is a school with both high proficiency and high AGP. Students start strong and keep moving. That is a school actually earning its numbers.

High proficiency, low AGP: probably riding its zip code. Low proficiency, high AGP: probably the most effective school on the list — lifting students from wherever they start.

Growth and the Star Rating

The NSPF explicitly rewards strong growth under its Academic Growth component. A school that grows students in the 70th percentile or higher earns maximum points in this category regardless of raw proficiency. This means the star rating already partially accounts for AGP — but looking at the underlying number gives you a sharper view.

A Final Note on Elementary Schools

At the elementary level, AGP data is available from grade 4 onward. Kindergarten through third grade data relies on different assessments, so you will not find AGP for those early grades. For early elementary schools, chronic absenteeism rates and proficiency trends over multiple years are better signals of school quality.

Explore AGP data and full NSPF profiles for every Nevada school at NevadaSchools.org.