The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain or Dawson is a private

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

college-preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or parochial school, parochial schools primaril ...

, and day school in Summerlin,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain provides co-educational and secular education to over 520 students from preschool through eighth grade.

History

In 1996, the Alexander Dawson Foundation decided to open a school in the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...

, the Foundation's home for more than 30 years. Located on a campus in Summerlin, the Alexander Dawson Foundation spent $58 million for the land, the school facilities, the interest expenses on the construction bonds, and in shortfall budget support during the school's early years. Ground was broken in 1999, and The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain opened on September 6, 2000 with over 150 students from kindergarten through fifth grade. From 2001 to 2003, the school expanded by adding sixth, seventh and eighth grades to the curriculum. A three-year-old preschool curriculum was added in 2009, and enrollment had grown to over 630 students.

Highlights

Academics The school has an overall 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, with students receiving regional, state and national awards and rankings in math, science and engineering and fine arts. The school offers Spanish in kindergarten through fourth grade, and three languages in Middle School (Spanish, French, and Mandarin). Dawson Bears Athletics * Boys and girls basketball, volleyball, flag football, track and field, cross-country, baseball, golf, and soccer through the Red Rock Athletic Conference * Boys and girls tennis through the USTA * Girls cheerleading * Athletic Conference events include swimming Financial aid and tuition assistance * Over $1 million awarded each year in income-based financial assistance * 20 percent of students receive financial assistance * Need-blind admissions process

Accreditation

The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain is one of three private schools in Southern Nevada with national and regional accreditation. The school is a member of The

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boar ...

(NAIS) and is accredited by The

Northwest Association of Independent Schools The Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) is a nonprofit membership association that provides accreditation, professional development and support services to over 110 elementary, middle, and secondary independent schools in Alaska, ...

(NWAIS). The Early Childhood Education Center, which houses the preschool and pre-kindergarten programs, is accredited by the

National Association for the Education of Young Children The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a large nonprofit association in the United States representing early childhood education teachers, para-educators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families o ...

(NAEYC).

Board of trustees

The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain is governed by a board of trustees; five foundation trustees, Chairman Oz Gutsche, Kimberley Johnston, Hunter Campbell, Pearl Gallagher, Lisa Eyler, and Susan Borst; three volunteer parent trustees – Robert Glaser, Carla Van Kalsbeek, and Mindy Oliveri; and School Trustee Charlie Silvestri, who is a community education leader. The board of trustees holds the school in trust and has a fiduciary obligation to safeguard the institution and its future well-being. According to the foundation's charter, the board's primary responsibilities include approving the school's annual budget and maintaining the authority to hire and fire the head of school. The board also assists the school in developing long-term strategies and school policies.

Alexander Dawson Foundation

The Alexander Dawson Foundation is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

charity based in

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...

. The foundation supports two schools, this one officially known as ''The Alexander Dawson School at RM'' and ''The Alexander Dawson School CO''.

References

External links

Official website
* The Dawson School in Colorado: http://www.dawsonschool.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander Dawson School At Rainbow Mountain, The Educational institutions established in 2000 Schools in Clark County, Nevada Buildings and structures in Summerlin, Nevada 2000 establishments in Nevada Private elementary schools in Nevada Private middle schools in Nevada