Magnet open houses, shadow days, and tours are where CCSD families test a program before ranking it. Here is where visit dates post, when the November 14 district magnet fair runs, and the questions that change a first choice.
Clark County School District Magnet applications for 2027 to 2028 are open now through Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m., according to magnet.ccsd.net and the Magnet Application Information page (checked Wednesday, October 7, 2026). Step 1 of the Magnet Application Process tells families to explore through school based open houses, camps and workshops, shadow days, parent workshops, and community events.
The CCSD Magnet Schools Department is hosting a Magnet Schools Fair Saturday, November 14, 2026, at South Career and Technical Academy from 9 a.m. to noon, per the October 5 CCSD newsroom post, which FOX5 also reported. The Magnet events calendar did not show it as of October 7, 2026, so recheck the calendar and campus sites closer to the date.
Where do parents find upcoming Magnet visits?
Start on the Magnet events calendar. On October 7, 2026, it read "0 events found." Last cycle, the same calendar carried listings from September 30, 2025, onward. They included an 8th Grade Shadow Day at Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy on October 29, 2025, from 7:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., described as "Spend the school day on campus visiting each of our program classes"; Las Vegas Academy Student Shadow and Parent Tours on Thursdays from October 2, 2025, into January; Magnet Exploration Nights for prospective families starting October 23, 2025; and Virtual Family Workshops starting October 22, 2025.
When the calendar is empty, check each campus site listed under Find a Magnet School and call the Magnet Schools Department if a first choice campus has nothing posted. The September 2026 Magnet Schools Catalog lists school open houses and shadow days as ways to explore but does not print dates.
For themes, eligibility types, lottery preferences, and bus maps, pair this visit checklist with CCSD Insider's Magnet parent guide and the School Choice open window guide.
What should parents ask on a Magnet tour or open house?
Ask questions that change your first choice ranking, your transportation plan, or whether the application will even qualify.
Ask which entry type this program uses: interest based, criteria based, or audition based. Elementary and middle Magnets are interest based. High school Magnets can be any of the three, per Qualification Requirements. Criteria based applicants need a minimum of 16 points out of 26 using first semester or trimester grades (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0). Ask which courses count toward that total.
Find out whether an audition is required and when it must be done. Applicants to Las Vegas Academy and Del Sol Academy "must attend/submit an audition at the school they are applying to for their application to be complete," per Qualification Requirements.
Check whether your address sits inside the Magnet transportation zone and more than two miles from the school under Regulation 3531. Magnet bus service is not automatic. Families who are not eligible handle their own transportation and must ensure regular, on time attendance, per the Magnet Transportation page. That page is labeled for the 2026 to 2027 school year and says "Stop locations may be adjusted year to year." Transportation: 702 799 8100. Zoning: 702 799 6430.
Program fees after enrollment are worth raising. Application Information states there is no application fee, tuition, or entrance fee for Magnet admission. Some schools may charge a program fee once a student is enrolled. Get the number from the campus office.
Ask how clubs, athletics, and after school time work if your child leaves the zoned school. Under Regulation 5132, clubs and extracurriculars are limited to the enrolled school. Application Information says "With the exception of Southeast CTA, CTAs and Las Vegas Academy do not participate in NIAA athletics," and athletes are responsible for their own transportation to the zoned school.
Get specifics on what a full year commitment means in practice. If selected and enrolled, students attend the Magnet full time for the entire school year. Part time Magnet attendance is not allowed. Application Information says withdrawing to another CCSD school waits until the academic year ends.
Ask how sibling preference, geographic preference, feeder preference, or CTA transportation preference would apply if this campus is first choice on an on time application. Preferences apply to first choice only, and secondary applicants must still meet program qualifications, per the Selection Process page. Sibling preference does not apply when siblings apply at the same time for the same school year, per Application Information.
Request a look at a typical instructional block in the theme your child actually wants, not the theme name on the directory. Program titles range from cybersecurity and biomedical pathways to theatre, mariachi, IB, and teaching academies.
How do visits connect to the January 12 deadline?
You may apply to up to three Magnet programs inside a wider School Choice cap of five total schools or programs across Magnet, Open Enrollment, and Central Technical Training Academy, per Application Process. Accepting any School Choice seat removes the student from other School Choice alternate and late lotteries.
Apply at applyccsd.schoolmint.com. The window opened Monday, October 5, 2026. Changes stop after Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. If you are still choosing among Magnet, Open Enrollment, and Central Technical Training Academy, use the short decision checklist.
Who do parents call while waiting for fall visit dates?
Magnet Schools Department: 702 799 8492, magnetschools@nv.ccsd.net, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.