DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY

DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY operates as a moderately sized elementary-level community in RENO, Nevada, part of Washoe County. Current enrollment sits at 474 students spanning grades K through 5.

DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY is one of 113 schools operated by Washoe County, a district that works with 63,412 students overall.

On demographics, DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY reports that the most-represented group is Hispanic (52%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 27% White, 8% Pacific Islander, 6% multiracial, 3% Black. That is considerably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 26%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY has 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.1:1. The state averages about 18.1:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Roughly 100% of students at DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Washoe County runs at roughly 56%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 32.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 22.4%.

In the broader community, census data for Washoe County shows median household income runs about $88,096, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Washoe County's 127 public schools (combined enrollment of about 68,279 students), DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Sierra Nevada Academy Charter, roughly 0.2 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, below the local average of 22.6%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 3%: 491 students in 2018 compared to 474 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 34% to 27% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio loosened from 15.3:1 in 2018 to 18.1:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for DESERT HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.