Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School, which opened in 2019 with only ninth-graders, now enrolls 255 students and partners with 78 valley employers who hire students part-time. The students' wages go directly to the school to cover most of their tuition, making the model a hybrid of education and workforce development.

The school is part of the national Cristo Rey Network, which includes 41 Catholic high schools using the same corporate work-study approach. It is the only such school in Nevada, according to Jason DiOrio, the school's director of business partnerships.

Every student works off campus, from 14-year-old freshmen to 18-year-old seniors. Each grade level works the same day each week, with Fridays rotating between grades. In total, each student works five days a month, about six to seven hours a day, earning an average of $23 to $24 an hour. School vans transport them to and from their jobs.

"The simple fact that they go into these workplaces as young kids, usually have never stepped foot in an environment like that, and they get that experience at 14, 15 years old is just game-changing for them," DiOrio said. "They can walk in a room and engage with adults. They shake hands. They look them in the eye. They can understand a task list, how to accomplish it, time management."

Most jobs are administrative, at private, public and nonprofit offices. Employers include casinos and resorts, law firms, churches, car dealerships, human services agencies, local governments, the Mexican Consulate and a veterinary clinic. One employer, Volunteers in Medicine, allows bilingual students to work as medical translators — an experience that inspired one student to study nursing at UNLV with a goal of treating low-income women, according to Amanda Oddo, director of operations for the corporate work study program.

Evelyn G., a junior who works at the architecture firm Steelman Partners, said she has audited paid time off accruals for all 70 employees and stuffed goodie bags for the office Halloween party. She previously worked at another local architecture firm, LGA Architecture, and has developed an interest in human resources.

"It's really nice to see how much the company that you work at trusts you with the information and the access that they give you," said Evelyn, whose last name the school asked not to be published. "Whenever I tell people like, oh, I actually have an internship at an architecture firm, they're like, 'Whoa, like at 16, what? That's so cool.'"

At Steelman Partners, Evelyn works closely with HR administrator Melissa Varela at a desk decorated with ivy garland and twinkly lights. Varela said the key is explaining the purpose behind each task.

"I think what's important is we tell her the 'why,'" Varela said.

Admission is need-based. Financial need is the first criterion, and families must be within 250% of the federal poverty threshold — at most $82,500 for a family of four. Work study and scholarships cover all but a small portion of tuition, with families expected to pay between $25 and $250 per month. Being Catholic is not required, but parent and student interviews and letters of recommendation are, and students must be employable. Behavioral issues are not tolerated, and students whose first language is not English must have advanced enough skills to work in English-speaking environments.

Oddo said the school essentially operates as a staffing agency that employers contract with. The school started with about 20 employer partners and now has 78. Each student worker represents an investment of $9,250, DiOrio said, and he is always seeking new employers.

The school has a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate. Every student must apply to at least 10 colleges; last year's average was 16. Most are the first in their families to attend college. Of the 65-person class of 2026, all but two went directly to college; the others went to electrician trade school and into the military. A high school staffer keeps in touch with alumni until they finish their degrees.

This year's senior class has 56 students, but the freshman class has 97, and next year's applications are higher than this year's, putting the school on track for another class of 100. The goal is to grow to a cap of 400 students, or 100 per grade.

The school sits on a busy corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Pecos Road, employs armed security, and requires visitors to pass through a locked gate and locked door after being buzzed in. Parents are drawn to the small class sizes, safety and college-going culture at a nominal fee compared with other private schools.

Despite its growing enrollment and prime real estate, the school remains lesser-known than DiOrio would like.

"One thing that we always get told is, we're like North Las Vegas' little secret," he said. "We don't want to be a little secret anymore."