Henderson's First City-Authorized Charter School Has 42 Students, a $709,959 Federal Grant — and Enrollment Open for Next Year

Kesher Academy is the first public charter school authorized by the City of Henderson, and its first year is running ahead of plan. The school opened August 10, 2026, on the campus of Congregation Ner Tamid with 42 students in kindergarten through second grade — above its first-year enrollment goal of 35 — according to the Hebrew Public network's announcement read in full by the desk. Henderson city leaders held a ribbon cutting for the school on Thursday, October 29, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun.

The school exists because of a 2023 Nevada law that expanded the list of bodies allowed to authorize charter schools to include cities and counties, alongside the state charter authority, the universities and school districts. Kesher is secular and tuition-free, teaches modern Hebrew to children of all backgrounds, and is one of 12 schools in the Hebrew Public network. It plans to add one grade each year until it reaches eighth grade.

The growth now has federal backing. The school has been awarded a $709,959 subgrant over two years through the Great Schools for Nevada Charter Schools Program, funded by the federal Charter Schools Program and administered by the Nevada education nonprofit Opportunity 180, to support its team and academic program from August 2026 through July 2028. Enrollment for the 2027-28 school year opened November 1 — which means the valley's newest charter experiment is, as of this week, taking applications for its second class.