Looking for the right school is like building with blocks — stacking one fact on top of another until you see the total structure and have enough information to make the best decision for your children.

Here are some tips for learning more about Southern Nevada Schools:

Web Sites

One way to learn more about a school is to contact the school district by phone or by visiting the many Web sites now available. A Web site is a valuable source of information, providing school district statistics and information on individual schools.

Word-of-Mouth

A valuable but often overlooked way to locate a new school is old-fashioned word of mouth. Colleagues already established in Las Vegas can be helpful. Your real estate agent, neighbors, relatives and friends are also good sources of information.

Personal Visits

If the school that you are investigating sounds promising, schedule a visit. Be prepared to follow up with more interviews and an evaluation for your child. If possible, try to visit a prospective school while the school term is still in session.

Bring a written list of questions. Inquire about student-teacher ratios, computer availability, extracurricular activities, multilingual programs and gifted programs. Ask how students are tested and graded, how these results are reported and about the amount of parental participation in the school.

Personal Perceptions

After all of your research, you still have to balance where you wish to live, the commuting distance from home to work and your “gut feelings” about the schools you’ve seen. Your family’s ability to readily adapt to a move and to find happiness in a new environment may depend, in part, on how happy your children are in their new school.

CHECKLIST

Items to consider when looking at public and/or private schools:

• Coeducational or single sex
• Culturally diverse student body
• Strong arts program (music, art, drama)
• Class size
• Availability of before and after-school care
• Level of parental participation expected
• Student dress codes (uniforms)
• Role of religion as integral part of curriculum
• Competitive athletic program and age/scholastic requirements for participation
• Approach to discipline
• Tuition structure, availability of scholarships, etc.
• Teaching techniques (Montessori, etc.)
• Nongraded or graded program
• Foreign language in curriculum
• Proximity to neighborhood or workplace
• Transportation options
• Availability of special education needs (learning disability instruction, wheelchair accessibility, etc.)