Compare costs, NCLEX pass rates, and accreditation for Las Vegas-area practical nursing schools.
Las Vegas hospitals and skilled nursing facilities employed 2,410 licensed practical nurses in 2026, with demand projected to rise as the region's population ages. Entering the field starts with a state-approved practical nursing program. In Nevada, the credential is called LPN, not LVN, though the two are equivalent.
The programs ranked below offer a starting point, with NCLEX pass rates, cost breakdowns, and salary data helping you compare options. Nevada Board of Nursing approval is non-negotiable for licensure, and pass rates on the NCLEX-PN exam vary sharply among local schools.
In a market where hospital systems continually recruit, a state-approved LPN certificate remains the quickest route to direct patient care employment.
These Las Vegas practical nursing programs are ranked by weighing cost, completion, and post-graduation outcomes, with particular attention to local hands-on clinical training. Each card highlights what makes the school distinct for prospective LPN students in the Las Vegas area. The full methodology appears after the ranking.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV | $4,000 – $13,000/yr (est.) | Military medics transitioning to civilian nursing | |
College of Southern Nevada is the Las Vegas area's public community college option for practical nursing, with ACEN accreditation and a strong NCLEX-PN record. Its certificate or diploma track combines classroom instruction, skills labs, and clinical rotations across hospitals, clinics, and long-term care settings. The program includes a bridge pathway for military medics and corpsmen, which makes it a distinct fit for veterans entering civilian nursing. ACEN accredited
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| #2 | Las Vegas College | Las Vegas, NV | ~$30,000/yr (est.) | Career changers wanting hybrid classes | |
Las Vegas College offers a private, career-focused practical nurse diploma at its Las Vegas campus. The roughly 15-month program pairs nursing coursework with supervised clinical rotations in Las Vegas-area healthcare facilities, and admission requires the TEAS exam along with a background check and drug screen. Class sizes are capped to keep cohorts small.
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| #3 | Carrington College-Reno | Reno, NV | $52,000/yr (est. net price) | Northern Nevada residents open to relocation | |
Carrington College's Reno campus offers a vocational nursing certificate of achievement for students who intend to work in Northern Nevada. The program combines classroom, lab, and supervised clinical instruction and prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN. While it is outside the Las Vegas commuting area, it appears here as a state-level option for readers open to a Reno location.
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Many nursing school rankings lean on reputation, popularity, or editorial preference alone. Our list takes a different route: we built it from scratch using publicly available federal data and a clear, objective lens.
We pull core metrics from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, including net price (the average cost after grants and scholarships), program-level earnings of graduates, median student debt, and institution-wide graduation rates. Note that graduation rate reflects the entire school, not just the nursing department, and net price is an average: your actual cost may be lower or higher depending on financial aid and circumstances.
To capture all accessible LPN programs in the Las Vegas area, we use a 75-mile radius from the city center. This ensures we include schools in nearby towns that local students often attend, not just those with a Las Vegas mailing address.
By sticking to hard numbers and transparent criteria, we avoid the guesswork that drives many editor-curated rankings. Our goal is to give you a clear starting point based on data that matters: earnings, debt, and affordability, rather than a list of names.
The net price shown below reflects what students pay after grants and scholarships. Public programs like College of Southern Nevada cost significantly less, and with 88.4% of CSN students receiving Pell Grants, financial aid access is strong. Median debt at completion rounds out the total cost picture.
National accreditation can improve a program’s reputation and financial aid options, but in Nevada, only state approval from the Nevada Board of Nursing makes graduates eligible to take the NCLEX-PN. Before enrolling, you need to understand the difference, and confirm that a Las Vegas program holds both.
Programmatic accrediting bodies like ACEN (nursing-specific), ABHES (healthcare), and ACCSC (vocational) ensure a program meets national standards. However, the Nevada Board of Nursing independently approves programs that meet state-specific requirements. Without board approval, graduates cannot apply for licensure. For example, College of Southern Nevada’s practical nursing program is ACEN-accredited and board-approved. By contrast, Las Vegas College (ACCSC) and Eagle Gate College (ABHES) are accredited but not board-approved for the LPN role.
Always check the Board’s approved program list before signing up for any Las Vegas LPN program. Accreditation tells you about quality, but only state approval opens the door to your license.
How do Las Vegas LPN programs perform on the NCLEX-PN licensing exam? Pass rates reveal how well a school prepares graduates to pass this required test and start their careers.
According to the Nevada Board of Nursing’s 2024 annual report, Las Vegas College achieved a 100% NCLEX-PN pass rate1 for its practical nursing program. This perfect score is based on a small cohort of 6 test-takers, so while the result is encouraging, it’s wise to check multi-year trends when possible.
For context, the national average NCLEX-PN pass rate for U.S.-educated candidates was 90% in 20242, as reported by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Pass rates above this benchmark generally indicate strong curriculum alignment with exam content and effective student support.
A program’s NCLEX-PN pass rate is a direct indicator of educational quality. Consistently low pass rates may point to gaps in instruction, insufficient clinical hours, or weak exam preparation. Conversely, a single year of perfect results from a tiny group does not guarantee the same outcome for every student. Look for patterns: ideally, rates that stay at or above the national average over several years. Within the Las Vegas area, no other LPN program reported pass rate data for 2024 in the board’s public records, which may reflect small program sizes or other reporting factors. If a school’s data is not publicly available, contact the program directly or check with the state board before enrolling in LPN programs in Nevada.
The Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas metro area employs 2,410 licensed practical nurses, with a median annual wage of $73,650 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For regional comparison, nearby metro areas like Reno and Carson City show higher medians of $75,750 and $76,390 respectively, though with significantly smaller employment bases. Wage data at the 25th and 75th percentiles show the range within which most Las Vegas LPNs earn.
| Location | Total Employment | 25th Percentile | Median Annual Wage | 75th Percentile | Mean Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 2,410 | $63,690 | $73,650 | $76,030 | $71,080 |
| Reno, NV | 540 | $64,820 | $75,750 | $76,890 | $72,930 |
| Carson City, NV | 100 | $65,820 | $76,390 | $77,540 | $74,280 |
Prospective nursing students in Las Vegas often have questions about program length, costs, and requirements. Find answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
