08/26/2026
Hello Families,
This is an important message from the Washoe County School District:
The Hawk Fire continues to significantly impact our community and has directly affected many of you – our students, families, and staff members – with evacuations, road closures, and extended power outages.
In consultation with public safety officials, most schools in the Washoe County School District will reopen for normal operations on Wednesday, August 26 except for the following 13 schools in areas directly impacted by the fire:
North Valleys High School
McQueen High School
Cold Springs Middle School
O’Brien Middle School
Billinghurst Middle School
Silver Lake Elementary School
Stead Elementary School
Alice Smith Elementary School
Lemmon Valley Elementary School
Inskeep Elementary School
Gomes Elementary School
Desert Heights Elementary School
Melton Elementary School
These schools will not resume classes on Wednesday, due to ongoing challenges related to prolonged power outages, evacuation zones, staffing, and transportation.
At this time, all other schools are scheduled to be in session on Wednesday, August 26.
Bus transportation will not operate in the areas designated as “red” or “yellow,” meaning those areas that have been evacuated or are standing by for possible evacuation. For information on your zone’s current classification, visit www.emergencywashoe.com
We will continue to work with public safety officials and monitor this emergency impacting our community.
Once again, all schools will be open for normal operations on Wednesday except Silver Lake, Stead, Alice Smith, Lemmon Valley, Inskeep, Gomes, Desert Heights, and Melton elementary schools; O’Brien, Cold Springs, and Billinghurst middle schools; and North Valleys and McQueen high schools.
Thank you.
Hawk Fire Check PerimeterMap for evacuation updates. Fire Damage Survey → WASHOE COUNTY EMERGENCY CENTER Emergency Washoe is a resource for information on large-scale emergencies that affect the greater Reno-Sparks area. Updates are made by local officials and first-responders from across the regi...