Types of K-12 Public Schools

Your District Zoned School is your neighborhood public school. Students are zoned to public schools based on where they live. The student body represents the diversity of your local community. District zoned schools serve all students without restrictions.

Public Charter Schools are public schools of choice and are open to all students. They operate with freedom from some of the regulations that are imposed upon district schools, yet are held accountable for academic results and student achievement.

Parents submit applications directly to the charter schools they want their children to attend. If a public charter school receives more applications than the number of seats it has available, the applications are drawn at random through a blind lottery.

Nevada ASD charter schools partner with communities to provide vibrant, high-quality, in-neighborhood alternatives for students in the State’s chronically underperforming schools. The schools serve students in neighborhoods with few choices and can be zoned or paired with a school to be an alternate option in a zone.

A public Magnet School has a specific area of focus, such as math, fine arts, science or health. Entry to an elementary or middle school magnet program is interest-based. These programs are tuition-free, and will provide transportation for students if they live in the transportation zone. Magnet Schools are available for grades 1-10.

Click here to visit the Magnet School application and information site.

Entry to a CTA program can be criteria, performance and/or interest-based. Parents of interested students must submit an online or paper application on or before the annually specified deadline, typically in late Fall. Students must meet the minimum qualifying criteria in order to be considered in the lottery process. If there are more qualified applicants than there are seats available, a computerized random lottery will be used to select students.

Click here to visit the CTA application and information site.
Click here to see how your school compares to CTAs or other public schools.

Select Schools are a new district school choice option for families. Students can choose from one of five (5) high schools that offer outstanding Career and Technical Education programs of study as well as many Advanced Placement and other specialized programs. Students that live within the designated transportation zone of the school that they choose will receive transportation.

Click here to learn more about or apply to Select Schools.