Choosing a school? You’ve got options.
No pressure, but education is a big decision! After all, it has a huge impact on your child’s future. Fortunately, Nevada families have access to several K-12 options. Navigating these school choice options can help you find a school where your child thrives. This post will breakdown the main types of schools and provide some extra education resources.
In Nevada, families can choose from traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools, online learning, homeschooling, and microschooling and mix-and-match learning.
One factor families consider when choosing a school is transportation. In Nevada, transportation is available for students who attend their assigned public school or have transportation services in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Transportation to other types of schools may be available – check out this transportation guide for more information.
Looking for special education options? You can learn what special education services are available in Nevada at the Ultimate Guide to Special Education.
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Explore Types of Schools
Nevada Traditional Public Schools
First off, you can choose traditional public schools, the most common school choice. In fact, 62.6% of all of K-12 students in Nevada attend a traditional public school. These schools are operated by school districts, free to attend, open to all students, and funded by federal, state, and local government. Did you know that Nevada spends an average of $11,673 per public school student each year?
Each state has its own open enrollment policies and up until the spring of 2025 it was up to each district to decide if it would allow students to transfer outside of their zoned school except in extremely limited circumstances.
In June of 2025 the Nevada Legislature passed a bill creating a state-wide open enrollment system for both intradistrict (within your zoned school district) and interdistrict (outside your zoned school district) transfers. This new system sets up oversight and transparency by:
- Having the State Superintendent review public school districts’ open enrollment policies
- Requiring districts to report vacancies by grade and school quarterly
- Establishing notifications of applications for out-of-district transfers 90 days before the application period begins
- Giving priority for transfers to students zoned to low-performing schools
- Districts cannot charge tuition or fees for intradistrict transfers
For transfers between school districts it is up to the district to decide if it will provide transportation. The Department of Public Instruction may establish a transportation grant program for students who are leaving low-performing schools or have no other means of transportation in the future – stay tuned for updates!
Find out more about public schools in your state at the Nevada Department of Education. You can also learn more about Nevada open enrollment at “Public Schools Without Boundaries: A 50-State Ranking.”
Nevada Charter Schools
Families in Nevada can also choose public charter schools. In Nevada, 13.7% of all K-12 students attend a public charter school. Like traditional public schools, charter schools are public, free, and usually have no requirements for entry. What distinguishes charter schools is they have extra freedom to innovate with learning methods and are accountable to authorizing bodies for results.
Nevada has about 90 charter schools families can choose from. Each school has a charter which explains the school’s purpose and what specific community need it serves. That could be providing a STEAM program or offering a rigorous, literacy-based curriculum. If there are more families seeking admittance to a charter school than there are seats, a lottery system (like drawing random names out of a hat!) is often used to determine admittance. In Nevada, public charter schools don’t currently receive state transportation funding, so in many cases families must transport their charter students.
In 2024, a new bill granted cities and counties the ability to sponsor charter schools. Henderson and North Las Vegas have been approved to open new charter schools by 2025-2026, providing more options for families in the area! During the legislative session this year the charter school enrollment cap was increased for charter serves students zoned in a district or school labeled low-performing, persistently underperforming, or overcrowded.
Free transportation may be available to some students in Nevada. If transportation is not provided, schools must collaborate with parents to find a solution. Students with special needs who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are eligible to receive transportation assistance.
A great resource for learning more about charter schools is the Charter School Association of Nevada.
Nevada Magnet Schools
You can also choose magnet schools! In Nevada, 13.2% of all K-12 students attend a public magnet school. Magnet schools are free public schools that allow kids to focus on specific themes, like STEM, health sciences, or the arts. A Las Vegas Sun article once described magnet schools as “schools within schools.” In other words, they offer specialty tracks within the public school system. So, these can be a valuable option for children who learn best when diving deeply into a particular course of study.
Nevada has several magnet schools throughout the state; for instance, there are more than 35 magnet schools or programs in the Clark County School District. One of these, Southeast Career Technical Academy, was voted the best magnet school in America in 2022! The district recently opened an additional career-focused magnet school in 2023: Northeast Career and Technical Academy. Besides career tech, the district’s magnet schools have focuses that range from the performing arts to STEM to hospitality and tourism. Another large district with magnet schools is the Washoe County School District.
Nevada Private Schools
Nevada’s private schools take many forms, from Catholic parish schools to non-sectarian Montessori schools. All private schools are nonpublic schools that charge tuition.
There are more than 170 private schools across the state of Nevada. The average tuition for private schools in the state is $12,431 for elementary schools and $12,615 for high schools. Private schools in Nevada provide the same number of days of instruction and private school teachers must hold a teacher’s license or meet another requirement.
Education Funding Opportunities:
In 2015, Nevada launched a school choice program that enables families at or below 300% of the federal poverty line ($90,000 for a family of four in 2024) to apply for scholarships for private education. Currently, 0.3% of all K-12 students participate in this program. If you think a private school could be the best fit for your child, you can also reach out to the school about whether any privately funded scholarships are available.
Learn more at Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Reno and Private School Review: Nevada.
Nevada Online Learning
Don’t overlook online learning. It offers a uniquely flexible learning environment that meets a variety of family needs. Whether your child wants to accelerate his or her learning or needs a quieter, stress-free environment in which to focus, you may wish to try virtual school.
Nevada offers several free, full-time online learning options, some of the largest of which are Nevada Connections Academy, Nevada Learning Academy, Leadership Academy of Nevada, and Nevada Virtual Charter Academy. The Nevada Department of Education provides a complete list of distance learning options, some of which are district-specific and some of which are open to students across districts. Some of the full-time options operated by specific districts include North Star Online School in Washoe County, Pioneer Academy Opens PDF in new tab in Carson City, and Northeastern Nevada Virtual Academy in Elko County.
Odyssey Charter School is a hybrid option for K-12 students that may benefit from face-to-face sessions once a week.
To read more about online learning in Nevada, check out the Digital Learning Collaborative’s state profile.
Nevada Homeschooling
Homeschooling is another school option for Nevada families. This choice is especially suited to those looking for a hands-on, highly customizable learning experience. Homeschooling is the process of parents educating students at home and is permitted in all 50 states.
In Nevada, 5.8% of all K-12 students are homeschooled.
Homeschooling Requirements:
The state requires a notice of intentOpens PDF in new tab to homeschool before you start and no later than 10 days after withdrawing from a school (it is required that you formally withdraw from your public school). In the case that you decide to return to public school, your student’s placement may be subject to testing and review of their work.
If you choose homeschooling, you’re required to teach specific subjects (including language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health), but specific standardized tests are not required. Your homeschooled student might still be eligible to participate in sports or activities at the local public school. Plus, homeschoolers with special needs are eligible to receive special education services from local school districts.
You may also want to check out the Nevada Department of Education – Homeschooling, Home School Legal Defense Association – Nevada, Nevada Homeschool Network, Nevada Moms, and RISE Education Resource Center.
Nevada Microschools and Mix-and-Match Learning
Today, many Nevada families are blending school options to come up with new ways to personalize education. Microschools are one of these ways. A microschool refers to students gathering together in a small group – with adult supervision – to learn, explore, and socialize. Microschools can take a variety of shapes and legal forms, from homeschoolers coming together at an enrichment center to a private school committed to small classrooms. What microschools share in common is a commitment to small-group learning and close-knit relationships, along with an emphasis on children as individual learners.
Examples of microschools and related resources in your state:
- The National Microschooling Center is based out of Las Vegas and offers a plethora of resources for families and educators interested in microschooling. MicroschoolingNV is the National Center’s local partner.
- Hope Academy is a microschool and homeschool co-op based in Carson City that offers à la carte courses.
- The Rainbow Room is a part-time, full-day drop-off program for homeschoolers in Las Vegas.
- Desert Peach Montessori, an affiliate of Wildflower Schools, offers Montessori education to preschool and kindergarten students in Reno.
- Nevada School of Inquiry is an inquiry-based learning microschool in Las Vegas.
- The Learning Outpost is a project-based homeschool learning center founded by a teacher.
Remember, microschooling is more a mentality than a specific legal distinction in most cases. Often, a family participates in a microschool while legally homeschooling, or being enrolled in a private or online school.
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