On time Open Enrollment applications for Clark County School District's 2027 to 2028 school year close Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. PT, according to the district's Open Enrollment page on It's Your Choice. The window opened October 5, 2026. CCSD's Open Enrollment FAQs put it plainly: "CCSD Transportation will NOT be provided for students attending a school on an Open Enrollment (OE) option." Both pages were checked Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Nine weeks sounds like plenty. It is not, once you count winter break. CCSD's 2026 to 2027 student calendar has no school from Monday, December 21, through Friday, January 1, a staff development day on Monday, January 4, and classes back on Tuesday, January 5, a week before the deadline. If you want to tour a school, talk to a counselor, or ask the Open Enrollment office a question, plan on doing it before December 18.
1. Confirm the school is on this year's list
Open Enrollment only works at schools with room. The School Eligibility page lists the schools taking applications for 2027 to 2028, sorted into elementary, middle, and high school tabs. On November 4, CCSD Insider counted 218 elementary schools, 44 middle level campuses, and 20 high schools, the same totals we counted in October. A few campuses appear in two tabs.
If the school you want is missing, the FAQs answer directly: "the school does not have available space to be in the application process for Open Enrollment." There is no side door through the Open Enrollment office.
Magnet programs are a separate track. The FAQs say "no Open Enrollment request will be accepted for any magnet school program." If your target is a magnet, apply through magnet.ccsd.net in the same SchoolMint account. CCSD Insider's capacity list explainer shows how the eligible list was built and how to read the seat spreadsheet.
The It's Your Choice Maps page has downloadable 2027 to 2028 maps for elementary, middle, and high school, which help when you are weighing the drive.
2. Check your zoned school first
Open Enrollment means attending a school outside your zone, so start with the school you already have. The FAQs say CCSD "uses the official residence of the parent/guardian" to assign students. Use the district zoning search to confirm your zoned school; CCSD Insider's zoned school guide walks through it.
3. Map your five choices before you open SchoolMint
The Open Enrollment page says families "may apply to up to five (5) schools/programs in total," spread across Magnet Schools, Open Enrollment, and Central Technical Training Academy, with "no more than three (3) applications" in any single category.
Write out all five on paper first, in rank order, with siblings in mind. CCSD Insider's Magnet vs Open Enrollment vs CTTA checklist helps sort which track each school belongs in.
4. Put the sibling school first
Preferences can move a child up in the lottery, but only once. The FAQs say a student gets a sibling preference "if the sibling is already enrolled and attending the school to which the student applies," that siblings "must be concurrently enrolled at the school for the upcoming school year," and that "Preferences are only applied to a student's first choice on time application."
Two practical points follow. If an older child is finishing the highest grade at that school this spring, there is no concurrent enrollment next year and no preference. And the preference only counts on the on time application, which is one more reason not to wait for the late window.
5. Plan the drive, because there is no bus
There is still no district bus. CCSD's 2026 to 2027 transportation reimbursement for eligible families is a one year program, and the Open Enrollment transportation page says funds "are not secured" for 2027 to 2028 or beyond. Checked Saturday, November 7, 2026, that page also says "Applications are no longer being accepted for the fall 2026 semester" and tells families to "Stay tuned for future opportunities!" It does not post a 2027 to 2028 application window. Plan as if you will cover every mile. CCSD Insider's reimbursement explainer has the details on this year's program.
Do the math in real terms: the morning drop off, the afternoon pickup, early release days, and who covers when you are sick.
6. Know what you are signing up for
The FAQs set out the commitment in a few lines that matter:
"Families must carefully read the Agreement of Understanding prior to finalizing the application."
Once enrolled, "the school becomes the student's home school of record and the student must remain at the school for one school year."
Open Enrollment is "valid through the highest grade at the new assigned school," and the student "does not need to reapply each year."
It does not carry over to the next level. The Open Enrollment page says "A new Open Enrollment application is required when transitioning from elementary to middle school or from middle school to high school."
If you move during the year, the FAQs say your child can finish the year at the school.
Rising sixth and ninth graders who are on Open Enrollment now need a new application this window.
7. Middle and high school athletes: read the sports rules
The FAQs say students in grades 6 to 12 are eligible for interscholastic athletics during the first 180 school days of an Open Enrollment, but students in grades 9 to 12 "may be ineligible for any sports they rostered on at their previous school if they have already used" the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association's One Time Waiver. The FAQs send questions to "the school's athletic administrator." CCSD Insider's sports eligibility guide has the full rundown.
8. Fix your SchoolMint settings now
The Open Enrollment Process page lists small steps that cause big problems later:
"Application changes are only permitted before the application deadline."
"Review email confirmation of application submission." No email means check again.
"Review preferred methods of communication within the guardian account. (We recommend that both text and email formats are selected.)"
Results come by text or email, and an unaccepted seat can be lost. The FAQs say an auto declined seat can be appealed, but it is granted only "If a seat exists."
9. Know what happens after January 12
The FAQs say the district will notify families "prior to Spring Break" whether requests were granted, and families must accept "by the specified date." The Open Enrollment page adds that once a family accepts a seat, "all other applications (for Open Enrollment and Magnet schools) for that student will be automatically declined."
Not selected? The Process page says students in the alternate pool may be offered a seat "through the tenth day of the school year." The FAQs say applications are approved "based solely on space availability," that a family may appeal to the Superintendent, who reviews "based on space only," and that "The decision is final." CCSD Insider's after you apply guide covers results and accepting a seat.
The late window is the backup, not the plan. The Open Enrollment page lists it as March 22 to August 20, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. The calendar supports that end date: CCSD's 2027 to 2028 student calendar starts classes Monday, August 9, 2027, which makes Friday, August 20 the tenth school day. That calendar is marked subject to change.
What if this is an emergency, not a preference?
Open Enrollment is for choice. A family facing "life changing or catastrophic conditions" can ask for an Administrative School Assignment, which the FAQs say is "considered throughout the school year" and "must include written justification." CCSD Insider's transfers guide explains how the two differ.
Preschool is not part of this process. The FAQs say Open Enrollment is reserved for kindergarten through grade 12 and send Pre K families to the Early Childhood Department's interest form.
Who do I contact?
CCSD Open Enrollment: 702 799 1040, CCSDOpenEnrollment@nv.ccsd.net or 0113-coasaccsd@nv.ccsd.net, 5100 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89146, per the Open Enrollment page. Apply at applyccsd.schoolmint.com. Magnet questions go to the Magnet Schools Department at 702 799 8492 or magnetschools@nv.ccsd.net, per magnet.ccsd.net.
CCSD Insider is an independent parent resource and is not affiliated with the Clark County School District.