Understanding the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF)

The Nevada School Performance Framework

The NSPF is Nevada's annual school accountability system. Every public and charter school in the state gets evaluated by the same criteria each year and assigned two numbers: an index score from 0 to 100, and a star rating from 1 to 5.

If you are trying to figure out how one Nevada school compares to another, the NSPF is the starting point.

What the NSPF Actually Measures

The rating is not a single metric — it is a composite of six components. A school earns points in each category, those points add up to an index score, and the score translates to a star rating.

Academic Achievement is the most heavily weighted component. It measures the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in ELA, Math, and Science on the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

Academic Growth measures how much students improved year over year compared to students who started at the same level. A school serving low-income students with an AGP above 60 is doing better teaching than a school in an affluent neighborhood with the same proficiency rate but a growth score below 40.

Closing Opportunity Gaps examines whether historically underserved groups — students with disabilities, English language learners, low-income students — are progressing at the same rate as their peers. A school that serves everyone well earns more points here.

Graduation Rate applies to high schools. Both four-year and five-year adjusted cohort graduation rates factor in. Schools above 90% earn maximum points; those below 67% are flagged for intervention.

College and Career Readiness applies to high schools. It counts AP and dual enrollment credits earned, industry certifications completed, and whether students hit ACT/SAT college-readiness benchmarks.

Chronic Absenteeism (Student Engagement) tracks the share of students missing 10% or more of the school year. Schools below 10% earn maximum points. Schools above 20% lose significant ground.

The Index Score and Star Tiers

Each school earns points out of 100. In 2024-25, the NSPF thresholds looked roughly like this:

• 5 Stars: Typically index scores above 80. Consistently above state targets across multiple measures.
• 4 Stars: Solid performance, usually strong in two or three areas with room to improve in others.
• 3 Stars: Meeting most state targets. About 30% of Nevada schools land here.
• 2 Stars: Falling short in multiple categories.
• 1 Star: Persistent underperformance — flagged for intensive state intervention.

Two schools can share a star level with index scores 15 points apart. That gap matters, which is why NevadaSchools.org shows the index score alongside the stars.

What the NSPF Does Not Measure

The NSPF is useful precisely because it is standardized. That standardization has limits:

It does not capture extracurriculars, school culture, or how students feel in the building. It is not adjusted for geography — a 3-star school in a rural district with no nearby alternatives is a different situation than a 3-star school surrounded by several 5-star options. Schools with very small student populations in a measured group receive N/A rather than a score.

Use the NSPF to build a shortlist. Then visit.

Compare NSPF scores for every Nevada school at NevadaSchools.org.