New funding allows Historic Westside school to stay open

Las Vegas Review-Journal

11 months ago

Democracy Prep’s Zayla Ellerbe (5) is announced in the starting lineup before a girls high school basketball game against Shadow Ridge at Democracy Prep on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus is shown in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto

Democracy Prep power forward Heaven Spencer runs onto the court as her team is announced before a game against Spring Valley at Spring Valley High School on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus announced Wednesday that thanks to new donor funding, the high school will remain open for the next three years.

The update comes after the public charter school in Las Vegas’ Historic Westside announced last week that it would close its high school at the end of this year.

The change — announced in a Wednesday letter to parents — will allow current high school students at Democracy Prep to graduate from the school.

“Your valuable feedback has been heard loud and clear and has enabled us to secure new funding from donors while also working as a leadership team to rework the budget,” Democracy Prep Public Schools CEO Natasha Trivers wrote. “We are pleased to share that with these changes, the high school will remain open for the next three years so that all current high school students will graduate from DPAC.”

She wrote they want to especially thank the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which has “pledged additional support and remains committed to the legacy of our school.”

“We are committed to serving the Las Vegas community for the long term, and we will continue to work actively with community partners and funders over the next several weeks and will update you accordingly,” Trivers wrote.

The school is hosting a family town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday at Democracy Prep’s cafeteria to share details about the new plan and answer questions.

A Democracy Prep spokesperson said in a Wednesday statement: “We are so thankful for the outpouring support we received from families, the Las Vegas community and our donors, including the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education which continues to be dedicated to our mission.”

“Our leadership team has worked tirelessly to develop a new strategy that will keep the high school open so all current students will graduate from DPACHS,” according to the statement. We will have more information to share in the coming weeks about the specific plans for our growth strategy.”

The campus on West Lake Mead Boulevard serves more than 1,200 students in elementary through high school grades.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com. Follow @julieswootton on X.