Marcos is a Legislative Director for ExcelinEd in Action.
Nevada’s 2025 legislative session brought a positive set of bipartisan education policy wins for students, families and educators across the Silver State.
With strong leadership from Gov. Joe Lombardo, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Senate Education Chair Angela Taylor and Assembly Education Chair Selena Torres-Fossett, Nevada passed several student-centered laws designed to boost foundational literacy, modernize teacher preparation, expand public school choice and create more focused classrooms.
These new policies reflect Nevada’s commitment to delivering opportunity and academic success for every learner.
Here is a closer look at the key education reforms enacted this year.
Nevada lawmakers passed SB 460, which includes fundamental literacy provisions originally introduced in Gov. Lombardo’s AB 584. The new law requires all public K–3 teachers to complete training in the science of reading, ensuring that instruction is grounded in proven, evidence-based practices that help children learn to read—and then read to learn.
The law also takes steps to align teacher preparation programs to the science of reading, creating a unified system for improving literacy outcomes across the state.
SB 460 also creates the Nevada Teacher Apprenticeship Program to grow and support the educator workforce. This new program will offer grant funding to approved apprenticeship sponsors for teacher recruitment, preparation, mentorship and retention—especially in high-need subject areas. It also creates an educator workforce supply and demand portal to track and support teacher recruitment and retention.
In addition, the law increases flexibility for charter schools to hire subject-area experts who hold industry-recognized credentials to teach non-core academic subjects. This opens the door for more real-world experience in Nevada classrooms.
Another major win came with AB 398, led by Assemblymember Steve Yeager. The law provides additional compensation for hard-to-fill positions, helping Nevada recruit and retain qualified teachers in the schools and subjects that need them most.
These targeted investments in teacher recruitment and retention reflects a commitment to ensuring high-quality teachers and student success in each and every classroom.
With the passage of AB 533, sponsored by Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett, Nevada has enacted a strong intra-district open enrollment law that allows students to attend a public school outside their designated attendance zone so long as space is available.
The new policy ensures receiving schools cannot deny enrollment arbitrarily, expanding access to high-quality public schools, eliminating artificial barriers and empowering families to choose the best fit for their child.
To promote student engagement and restore academic focus, lawmakers passed SB 444, which requires school districts to adopt distraction-free learning policies.
The new law aligns with a growing national movement to create cell phone-free schools and classrooms—encouraging healthier learning environments, stronger peer connections and improved classroom behavior.
With these 2025 reforms, Nevada has taken important steps to improve student outcomes and strengthen public education.
By investing in early literacy, broadening public school choice, supporting educators and reducing distractions, Nevada leaders are building a more student-centered system that prepares every learner for lifelong success.
ExcelinEd in Action applauds the leadership of Gov. Lombardo, Sen. Cannizzaro, Sen. Taylor and Assemblymember Torres-Fossett. Their dedication to Nevada’s students and families is delivering meaningful results—and setting a high bar for the future.
