Las Vegas Schools Offer a Variety of Programs and Choice

The Clark County School District is the nation’s fifth-largest school district, meaning there is no lack of school choice options for you and your family in the Las Vegas region.

CCSD educates about 300,000 students annually across 370+ schools, including nationally recognized magnet schools and Career & Technical Academies (CTA), plus several International Baccalaureate programs available to elementary, middle, and high school students.

Nevada School Choice

School choice in Nevada allows public education funds to follow students to the schools or services that best fit their needs—whether that’s to a public school, private school, charter school, home school or any other learning environment parents choose for their kids.

Magnet Schools and Career & Technical Academies

In 1993, Mabel Hoggard, Clark High School, and the Las Vegas Academy were the first magnet programs to open in the Las Vegas Valley. Because of the tremendous success of these schools, CCSD added even more magnet schools and programs to provide more choice and access for the students. In 2022, CCSD received 36 Merit Awards from the Magnet Schools of America.

The Clark County School District now manages 42 magnet schools and career and technical academies, encompassing more than 100 programs of study. Students in these schools can take a wide variety of courses, including advanced manufacturing, animation, aviation, computer science, cyber security, energy technologies, nursing, and video production.

CCSD is also home to several national recognized CTAs, including the Southeast Career and Technical Academy in Henderson, which was named the top magnet school in the country in 2022. The district also opened its seventh CTA in the fall of 2023 in North Las Vegas, the Northeast Career and Technical Academy.

Las Vegas Charter Schools

Charter schools in Nevada are public schools funded by the state. All charter schools are independent public schools of choice, meaning parents can choose to enroll their children.

While there are six CCSD-sponsored charter schools in the Las Vegas valley, they operate independently of the Clark County School District with separate leadership and school boards.

The State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) authorizes public charter schools across Nevada and is responsible for oversight and monitoring of those schools to ensure positive academic outcomes for students and strong stewardship of public dollars. SPCSA currently oversees 78 charter school campuses and approximately 60,000 students statewide.

These schools are free to approach education with innovative curriculum but are ultimately still bound to the accountability of academic results. Charter schools are generally mission-focused, with schools ranging from project-based, science and technology, distance education, career/vocational, dual credit college courses missions.

Because charter schools are public schools, supported with tax dollars, they must be open to all students. The Charter School Association of Nevada provides information on each of the sponsored charter schools in Nevada.

Las Vegas Private Schools

Bishop Gorman High School, The Meadows School, The Adelson Educational Campus, Calvary Chapel Christian School, and Lake Mead Christian Academy are just a few of the 75+ private schools offered to K-12 students in the Las Vegas region.

All private schools in the state are licensed by the Nevada Department of Education and are required to provide: the minimum level of curriculum required by Nevada public schools, 180 days of instruction, and the same number of minutes of instruction per day that is required of public schools. While some schools offer tuition assistance, parents who enroll their children in private schools agree to pay tuition and fees the school requires.

Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program (Opportunity Scholarship)

The Nevada legislature established the Educational Choice Scholarship Program in 2015. Also known as the Opportunity Scholarship, the program provides need-based scholarships for students. Parents and guardians of private school students can apply the scholarship toward tuition, fees, and transportation costs associated with attending private school. Corporations can claim a tax credit when they contribute to an approved scholarship-granting organization.