Mission:

At Sandy Valley Elementary and Middle School, we will ensure that students achieve academically and demonstrate citizenship, responsibility, and respect for people and property.

History:

The growing community of Sandy Valley began in the 1800s as the five mining communities of Kingston, Sandy, Ripley, Mesquite, and Platina formed. In 1876 Miguel Nevares operated a crude salt works at the southern end of the valley to supply the mines then operating at Ivanpah. In 1881, prospectors began taking a serious look at this section of the Spring Mountain range. In 1883, Jonas Taylor located the Shenandoah mine, and in 1886 the Keystone mine began producing. There have been residents since 1893, including families with children. Prior to World War II, Frank Williams could chronicle only five children born in the valley, including sons to first resident Oliver Rose and to John McClanahan in Sandy. A school is reported in 1909-10, and again in 1918. The Bartine School District was organized in 1926, which was succeeded by at the Spring Mountain School District in 1927. In 1982, the Clark County School District formed the Sandy Valley Elementary and Middle School. Today, very little is left of the mining era, and over 2,300 horse lovers and rural dwellers who seek to escape city life call this area home. There is a residential area built around a runway, and most of the houses boast an aircraft in the driveway. There is a bar, a church and a general store in a small shopping area that also houses the Sandy Valley mail substation. A new Shenandoah Mill is in operation on the site of the old one, and there is some agriculture and ranching. Most of the population finds employment in the casinos at Jean and Primm, Nevada with some families finding employment in the construction industry in Las Vegas.