Fernley schools reported improvements in student attendance, academic growth and career preparation during an annual update to the Lyon County School District Board of Trustees on Sept. 22, although trustees asked Fernley High School administrators for additional data that was not included in their presentation.
Principals from Fernley-area schools presented trustees with results from the 2025-26 school year and goals for the current year during the board's meeting at Silverland Middle School.
One of the largest changes came at Fernley Elementary School, where chronic absenteeism dropped from 47% to 29.5% in one year.
The school also reported 60% growth in reading and 56% growth in math. Behavior referrals declined from 321 to 288.
Fernley Intermediate School reported a similar improvement in attendance, with chronic absenteeism dropping from approximately 45-46% to 28%.
The school also identified student behavior toward staff as an area for improvement during the current school year. According to the school's presentation, 53% of staff members responding to a climate survey reported that student verbal abuse of teachers occurred often. The school has set a goal of reducing that figure to below 40%.
Fernley High School administrators highlighted gains in academics and career and technical education.
The high school reported a 97% staff retention rate and said 18 students earned associate degrees during the 2025-26 school year, twice the number from the previous year.
Another 137 students earned Career and Technical Education certificates, while 238 earned industry-recognized credentials and 126 earned dual credits.
Students in the school's certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician and community health programs achieved 100% pass rates, according to the presentation.
Members of Fernley High School's graduating class also received more than $1 million in scholarships.
Fernley High improved to a three-star rating under Nevada's school performance framework, with its index score increasing from 49.5 to 56.
Trustee Darin Farr, however, questioned why several other measures were not included in the high school's presentation.
Farr asked for previous ninth- and 10th-grade performance data, graduation figures and chronic absenteeism numbers. Board President Tom Hendrix also said he wanted to see the additional information.
Assistant Principal Cory Sanford told trustees he would obtain the figures from Principal Ryan Cross.
The annual presentations give trustees an opportunity to review individual schools' progress from the previous year and hear their goals and areas of focus for the new school year.
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