About Us

HISTORY OF ROY W. MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Roy W. Martin Junior High was opened in 1959. The school was built for a total cost of $1,045,000.00 and consisted of 95,160 square feet of space located at 2800 East Stewart Avenue. The original building was designed to house about 900 students and was one of the first junior highs constructed by the Clark County School District.

An additional wing was added during the 1970-1971 school year and a student center was added during the 1975-1976 school year. The school plant was retrofitted and updated in 1996-1997.

During the 2000-2001, Roy W. Martin was selected as a recipient of the 21st Century Community Learning Grant, providing new facilities for classrooms, recreation areas, and music studio areas which will be used by school and community groups.

In July 2005, the school sustained heavy damage in a fire that completely destroyed the gym and locker rooms. After holding physical education classes in “The Dome” (a large white tent covering the outdoor basketball courts) for three years, the students moved into a modern new campus, built for 1700 students, at 200 N. 28th Street for the 08-09 school year.

The school's new, two story classroom complex is located just south of the original school location. The new campus is comprised of a fine arts building, gymnasium, the main classroom building (3 wings)and two stories), administrative & Library building, and cafeteria to facilitate the implementation of innovative 21st century programs including the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program which serves nearly 600 students from the entire Las Vegas valley.

The “Closing of School Ceremony”, at the old campus, was held on May 2, 2008 and was attended by students, teachers, and parents which special recognition presented by U.S. Senator Harry Reid’s office. Roy W. Martin Middle School was re-dedicated on April 1, 2009. During the 2009-2010 school year, RMMS celebrated 50 years of serving the students of Las Vegas.

Several innovative programs have been initiated at Roy Martin, one of which brought national attention to our District and school. Roy Martin was selected as a gold-star school for the 1967-1968 school year. It was one of 210 schools named—out of some 40,000 in the U.S.—by the National Education Association for their creative, pace-setting approaches to education. As a gold-star school, Roy Martin served as a Demonstration Center for the year and received visitors from all across the Nation to view our “flexible scheduling” program.

In 1984, as the school celebrated twenty-five years of educating the youth of Las Vegas, Roy Martin was nominated to represent Nevada in the United States Secretary Of Education’s Secondary School recognition program. In 2002, after a two year pilot program, the International Preparatory Academy admitted sixth grade students from throughout the Las Vegas valley into the new magnet program. The expanding program earned authorization by the International Baccalaureate Organization as a Middle Years Program in June 2006, and it prepare students for the International Baccalaureate program at Valley High School.

As of 2016, RMMS continues as an International Baccalaurete Mddle Years Programme, in partnership with neighboring Valley High Shool, RMMS is an authorized IB World School. In the past three years, recognition of this progran has been awarded by the Magnet Schools of America as a School of Disctintion, the top national award recognizing magnet schools of high quality.

In 2006-2007, Martin Middle School regained designation as a High Achieving School due to Closing the Achievement Gap between subgroups in accordance with U.S. No Child Left Behind standards. For 2007, RMMS was the Title I Distinguished School for Nevada and a US Model School as recognized by the International Center for Leadership in Education. In 2008 and again in 2009, RMMS was recognized by the Magnet Schools of America as one of 50 “Schools of Distinction,” the highest honor bestowed by the organization. In 2013 and, again, in 2014, Roy Martin MS is a Magnet Schools of American School of Distinction. In both 2015 and 2016, RMMS regained the national designation by the Magnet Schools of America as a School of Excellence, the highst designation warded to the top 50 schols in the US.

Entering the 21st Century, the administration and faculty of Roy W. Martin Middle School serve a diverse student population of approximately 1532 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. In 2001, our school remains “dedicated to a concept of recognizing the individual.” As of 2016, 427 studnts as of 1500, are students requiring services as ELL students. The training of teachers strin specialized strategies is the primary focus of staff development this year. At this time AB 394, a NV state law, drives and dictates the educational focus of the school year plus AB 394, a ste law which dicatates changes in the CCSD sructure (based on AB 394).

Since the building of the new campus, annually, recognition is given to students and teachers who personify teacher, Mr. Tyler Bushnells' ideals related to success and perseverance. Mr. Bushnell was part of the Teach for America program as a teacher and he continued to teach despite brain cancer. The RMMS Rose Garden is named in his honor. An annual award is presented in his honor to students and teachers who perserevered this year or forever in his iikeness. Mr. Bushnel loved RMMS to his dying day and we wish to recognize his extreme desire for students to achieve for eternity.