CCSD elementary school celebrated for national award

Gehring Academy of Science and Technology was celebrated Friday for the National Blue Ribbon Award it earned this year.

The Las Vegas elementary school was the only school in Nevada to earn the award from the U.S. Department of Education, which honors “high-performing schools and schools that are making great strides in closing achievement gaps,” according to its website.

“This school has made it a priority to embrace the rich diversity and cultures amongst students and to provide a rigorous STEM-infused curriculum to create an inclusive school environment for all,” Clark County School District interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell said in an October statement.

On Friday, Larsen-Mitchell was joined by Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert and other local leaders to celebrate Principal Sarah Robinson and her staff.

The Department of Education recognized 356 schools across the country in 2024. Gehring was one of only 14 schools nationwide to be honored in both the Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools categories, according to a Clark County School District news release.

Exemplary High Performing is based on state and national assessments, and the Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools Award is for narrowing scores between different student groups and the overall student body.

An earlier celebration of the school’s success came at the end of October, when staff members were surprised with tickets to the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.