Nick Poulakidas Elementary School

Nick Poulakidas Elementary School is a PK–5 school in Reno, Nevada, serving 487 students in the Washoe County School District, and it stands out as a top-decile Nevada elementary school with strong math and reading proficiency, very low chronic absenteeism, and a relatively low-poverty student body.

In 2025–2026, the school ranked 44th of 376 elementary schools statewide, placing it at 88th percentile with 4 stars. It was a 5-star school from 2020–21 through 2024–25, so the recent shift to 4 stars is a mild decline from its peak, not a dramatic fall. Its SBAC proficiency rates are well above district and state averages: 70.8% in math vs district 37% and state 36.2%, 64.9% in reading vs district 44.4% and state 45.2%, and 29.1% in science vs district 26.3% and state 25.5%. Math is especially consistent across grades 3–5 (69.5%–72.0%), while reading is stronger in 5th grade (76.3%) than 3rd grade (52.6%). Science has declined over four years, from 46.1% in 2022–23 to 29.1% in 2025–26, a trend to watch.

Among nearby schools, Elizabeth Lenz Elementary currently ranks higher and outperforms in math and reading, while Jwood Raw Elementary School is close behind with higher reading and science but lower math. Brown Elementary ranks lower and has lower math, and Coral Academy Elementary-South has lower math and reading, though slightly lower chronic absenteeism. Nick Poulakidas's 9.7% chronic absenteeism is less than half the district's 27.5% and state's 25.5%, and only Coral Academy-South was lower nearby. Its per-student spending of $12,632 in 2023–24 is middle-of-the-pack locally, and its 18:1 student-teacher ratio is not unusually small, so its results are not simply explained by extra resources or tiny classes. Overall, it remains a top-tier local school, with 3rd-grade reading and the science decline as the main areas to monitor.