Dear Nye County Families, Students, and Community Members,
As Superintendent, it is my absolute privilege to welcome you to the 2026–2027 school year!
Whether your family resides in Amargosa, Beatty, Gabbs, Pahrump, Round Mountain, or Tonopah, our dedicated teachers, staff, and administrators have been working hard to prepare engaging, safe, and supportive classrooms across all 18,182 square miles of our district.
Please keep these upcoming start dates in mind:
Monday, August 3, 2026: First day of school for our 4-day week school communities.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026: First day of school for our Pahrump schools.
PreK students begin on August 17, 2026.
Our mission is to empower every student to learn at their highest level. To make that vision a reality, we need our students in class, engaged, and ready to grow every single day. We are honored to partner with you in your child’s educational journey!
Let’s have a wonderful school year together!
Warm regards,
Joseph (Joe) Gent Ed.D.
Superintendent, Nye County School District
Every Day Counts: Why Attendance Matters
Consistent attendance is vital for building a strong foundation for learning and achieving long-term academic success. Missing just two days of school per month adds up to 20 days per school year. That equals roughly 30 hours of math instruction and 60 hours of reading and writing missed in a single year. Over the course of a student’s Kinder-12th grade education career, 20 days per school year is nearly two years of missed learning. (attendanceworks.org)
“Every day a student is in school is an opportunity for them to learn, grow, and build a strong foundation for their future,” said Dr. Gent. “We are committed to partnering with our families to ensure every student has the chance to succeed, and that starts with being present in the classroom.”
Streamlined Communication and Absence Reporting with Rooms (formerly EduRooms)
To make communication easier for families, all NCSD schools and teachers will use Rooms, a messaging feature integrated directly into the official Nye County School District mobile app and website.
Why Reporting Reasons Promptly is Critical
Parent communication is essential when a student cannot attend school.
Preventing Truancy: Under Nevada law and district policy, an unverified absence without parent notification within three (3) school days must be recorded as truancy. Unresolved truancies will result in required referrals to law enforcement and possible citations.
Understanding the "DM" Code:
When a parent or guardian provides a reason for an absence within three days, the absence is coded as "DM" (Domestic Measure). While DM appears as unexcused in Infinite Campus, providing a reason ensures the absence cannot be marked as a truancy. A few DM absences will not negatively impact a child’s record, but it helps us track chronic absenteeism and allows us to find those parents who might want to need additional support or might want to consider alternative school options for their families, like Pathways or homeschool.
How to Report an Absence Using Rooms
Reporting an absence takes just a moment through the district app:
Open the NCSD App and navigate to Rooms.
Go to the messages section and create a message with the school secretary or clerk who handles attendance. If you have students at multiple schools, you can add up to three employees to the message and send one message to all three at the same time. (e.g. The attendance clerks at Hafen, RCMS, and PVHS.)
Send a direct message that includes:
Student’s full name
Date(s) of the absence
Reason for the absence
For medical appointments: Attach a clear photo of the official doctor’s note in your message.
Important Resources & Links
NCSD Attendance Website: NCSD Attendance Information
NCSD Regulation 7222: Student Attendance
Parent Digital Toolkit: NCSD Parent Toolkit
Rooms Support: Rooms Support Page
The official Nye County School District app can be downloaded for free from the iOS App Store and Android Google Play Store.
Images generated by Gemini