Desert Heights Elementary School

Reno, NV 89506

Phone: (775) 677-5444
Fax: (775) 677-5448
District: Washoe County School District

1

GreatSchools Rating

public • Grades PK-6 • 474 students

Desert Heights Elementary School, located in Reno, Nevada, serves grades PK-6 in the Washoe County School District. Based on its state test results, it has received a GreatSchools Rating of 1 out of 10.

Desert Heights Elementary School is a public school located in Reno, NV. 474 students attend Desert Heights Elementary School.

School Ratings

Category Rating Details
Test Scores 2/10 The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT) data from Nevada Department of Education, and using 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Nevada Department of Education.
Academic Progress 4/10 The Academic Progress Rating is a growth proxy rating based on a model using unmatched cohorts, or school-level data instead of student-level data. The Academic Progress Rating was created using 2024 and 2025 Smarter Balanced Assessment data from Nevada Department of Education, using 2024 and 2025 Criterion Referenced Tests (CRT) data from Nevada Department of Education, and using 2023 demographic data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Posted: May 30, 2025

Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade and 3rd grade are great here. My kids at these grades loved to learn. They wanted to go to school. After these grades is when the bullying becomes a problem and is not taken care of very well. My older two had different problems and it was a mess. I'm not the only parent with this issue.

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: May 30, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

DHES is overall an amazing school! My son loves going to this school. Great environment with respectful, kind students and professional, competent and engaging staff and teachers. Mr. Frydman is a very hands on principal, he is always present, approachable and accommodating.

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: March 2, 2025

Posted: February 11, 2015

I love desert heights! My son came over from Silverlake where although the teachers and Mrs Dickson at that time as principal cared deeply, he wasn't getting the best education he could there as a special needs child. Mrs. Gray and teachers care greatly and go above and beyond for for each of there students. The principles and staff are wonderful and my son loves going to school again. He has grown by leaps and bounds academically at this school. I am saddened that it has gotten negative reviews due to personal reasons that are petty or because the whole nation uses a core standard for education. This is a wonderful school and they care very much for the pupils here. I have never had my child go to a school where they try so hard and are genuine.

Posted: April 16, 2014

My children only went here for a few years, but the school was one of their best. The teachers and the Principal, at that time were awesome.

Posted: June 25, 2013

Ms. Mesina and her class helper are great. My son has learned so much from her class and she is exceptionally kind. My son is now ready for kindergarten. My son can now write every letter in the alphabet because Ms. Mesina has worked with him.

Posted: June 20, 2013

TThe teachers at this school have always been helpful and devoted to their students. I have a problem with the principals decision to keep the playgroud locked after school hours and throughout school breaks.

Posted: June 6, 2013

The office staff are extremely pleasant, as is the principal.The special ed department is the best I've encountered. More specifically Mrs. Metzger,an amazing human being. She's a true asset.She helped my autistic son become communicative through sign language and helped him learn to speak. He can now identify all his letters,colors,shapes,numbers-100 and knows songs and nursery rhymes, he even socializes with children. All of this in approximately 7 months time. From non verbal and multiple meltdowns to the wonderful little smart boy he is today. The environment in her classroom is full of fun and energy but still structured enough to help a special needs child thrive to the fullest. She and her aid, Ms. Heather are phenomenal people and I am very grateful to have had them in my life. Even after we moved and our son encountered problems with his new classroom Mrs. Metzger went above and beyond the duties of any teacher, let alone a former teacher, to ensure I had every opportunity afforded to me to make sure my child was put into a new school better suited and more safe for my son. Bravo for setting such an excellent example of what a school should be like.

Posted: July 30, 2011

I have four children attending this school. Mrs. Daniels (pre-k) is exceptional and many of the teachers are passionate about teaching and it shows in my children's learning and their ability to partner with us as parents. However, too much emphasis was placed on the students with regard to the CRT's. For example, my child, who has a reading disorder became unduly stressed days before the test stating that he would be "held back" should he not do well. His teacher even admitted she "told all the students this" to "help them understand how important the test is". Discipline does not support the district mission statement and administration did not partner with us with respect to our children's learning needs. Also, two teachers out of the four returned phone-calls while the other two did not. If your children attend this school, make certain you know your rights and responsibilities as a parent and assert them effectively or lest you'll end up feeling powerless and walked on while your child pays the price.

Posted: July 28, 2009

Posted: February 3, 2008

Reviews provided by GreatSchools™

# Name Type City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Spanish Springs Neighborhood/Subdivision Sparks NV 8.7 mi
# Name City State Overall Rating Distance
1 Stead Reno NV 2.1 mi
Base Distance
Sierra Army Depot 40.2 mi.
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