With 26 public, private and charter schools, the master planned community of Summerlin® offers more educational choices than any other Southern Nevada community – a nod to the community’s developer, The Howard Hughes Corporation® (NYSE: HHC), and its commitment to education from the community’s inception. With the 2023-24 school year kicking off in August, now is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of schools as the heart of community, particularly since many residents base their home buying decisions on quality education options.
“The community’s history began with The Meadows, a premier college preparatory school built on land donated by HHC and the very first structure to be built in Summerlin that opened in 1988 – a few years before the first residents moved in,” said Danielle Bisterfeldt, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Consumer Experience for Summerlin. “Today, some 36 years later, The Meadows is still considered one of the valley’s top-ranked private schools.”
According to Bisterfeldt, HHC’s decision to donate land to The Meadows was very intentional to help put the new community on the map, making it a destination for the hundreds of families whose children attended school there – well before Summerlin began to take shape. The community’s first public school opened in 1993, the William R. Lummis Elementary School, named for a cousin of Howard Hughes and the executor of his estate. HHC donated $250,000 to Clark County School District (CCSD) to help underwrite the creation of a new school prototype that was used as a model for other schools throughout the district for many years.
“Planning for schools – both public and private – was foundational to the development of the master plan,” said Bisterfeldt. “From the community’s inception, land was specifically designated for both public and private schools and we continue to work closely with CCSD, as well as private school operators, to ensure that Summerlin offers more educational choices than any other community in Southern Nevada.”
According to Teddy Liaw, organizer of the Vegas Tech Summit designed to encourage tech business relocation to Southern Nevada, Summerlin was a draw for his family because of its schools.
“We moved to the community a few years ago from Northern California to escape the high cost of living and seek a better quality of life for our family,” said Liaw. “Summerlin’s private schools were a big factor in our decision to relocate. We are thrilled with our new home and haven’t looked back.”
Today, Summerlin’s 26 schools include ten acclaimed private schools, including Bishop Gorman High School, a Catholic college preparatory school; Faith Lutheran Jr. and Sr. High Schools as well as Faith Lutheran Academy; Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School; Merryhill School; Shenker Academy; and the Adelson Educational Campus which is home to three Jewish schools: the Milton I. Schwartz Hebrew Academy; The Adelson Middle School; and The Adelson Upper School.
“We are proud that many of the valley’s leading private schools chose to locate in Summerlin when they could go anywhere in the valley,” said Bisterfeldt. “Their accomplishments in academics, sports and the arts help to fuel the community’s rich educational offerings.”
Summerlin is also home to nine public elementary schools, three public middle schools and two public high schools: Palo Verde High School and West Career and Technical Academy. Both schools recently landed on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of best high schools in the country: West Career & Technical Academy is the second highest rated high school in the valley, coming in at #402 amongst 13,383 public high schools nationwide; and Palo Verde High School is the 15th highest rated high school in the valley, ranking #3,632 nationally. Both high schools offer Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs that offer advanced courses in a variety of subjects, helping graduates secure admission to many of the country’s leading universities.
Two charter schools round out the community’s K-12 educational offerings: Discovery Charter School and Doral Academy Red Rock Campus.
Summerlin is also home to institutions of higher learning, including a satellite campus of the College of Southern Nevada on the campus of Palo Verde High School, a campus of University of Phoenix, and Roseman University of Health Sciences that will help meet Nevada’s doctor shortage by training future physicians and medical professionals. Roseman is actively pursuing accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
“When a community is proud of its schools, it’s a direct reflection of the quality of life that exists there,” said Bisterfeldt. “Summerlin is no exception. We are bursting with pride for every school in our community, and as we continue to develop new neighborhoods, we also reserve areas for future schools to meet the demand as the community grows.”
Now in its 33rd year of development, Summerlin offers more amenities than any other Southern Nevada community, including 300-plus parks of all sizes; 200-plus miles of interconnected trails; resident-exclusive community centers; ten golf courses; 26 public, private and charter schools; a public library and performing arts center; Summerlin Hospital Medical Center; houses of worship representing a dozen different faiths; office parks; neighborhood shopping centers; and, of course, Downtown Summerlin®, offering fashion, dining, entertainment, Red Rock Resort, Class-A office buildings, City National Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights National Hockey League practice facility, and Las Vegas Ballpark®, a world-class Triple-A baseball stadium.
In total, Summerlin currently offers over 100 floorplans in 20 neighborhoods throughout eight distinct villages and districts. Homes, built by many of the nation’s top homebuilders, are available in a variety of styles – from single-family homes to townhomes, priced from the $400,000s to more than $1 million. For information on all actively selling neighborhoods, visit Summerlin.com. Before you visit, any new Summerlin neighborhood, please call the homebuilder to check on hours of operation. Phone numbers for each neighborhood are on Summerlin.com.