Rancho High School
Photograph of Rancho High School, Las Vegas, circa 1954 to 1960s. North Las Vegas Library Collection. UNLV Libraries Special Collections & Archives.
Built in 1954. Demolished in 2006. A new school was rebuilt and opened on the south side of the property in 2006.
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for students of different races to be unconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education).
By the 1930s, racial housing segregation became the law in Las Vegas. In 1971, under threat of federal court action, Nevada legislation ends housing segregation in Las Vegas.
At the time racially integrated schooling was a new experience for many students.
From 1967 to 1974, racial tensions at Rancho High School between black and white students had esclated to the extreme that the North Las Vegas police had to constantly patrol the school.
The period is referred to as the Rancho High School Riots.
Was located at 1900 East Owens Avenue, North Las Vegas, Nevada.