Clark County School District still runs the old COSA pathway under a new name. Open Enrollment is capacity based, sits inside School Choice caps, and does not come with a district bus. On time applications for 2027 to 2028 close January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m.
Clark County School District renamed Change of School Assignment to Open Enrollment. The pathway is the same parent job in a new wrapper: apply for a seat at a CCSD school that has open capacity outside your zoned campus. The district says so on the School Choice section of Back to School and on It's Your Choice Open Enrollment (both checked Tuesday, October 6, 2026 PT). Parents who still search "COSA" are looking for this process.
The 2027 to 2028 on time window opened Monday, October 5, 2026, and closes Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. Late applications run Monday, March 22, through Friday, August 20, 2027, at 3:00 p.m., per the Open Enrollment page. Apply in SchoolMint at applyccsd.schoolmint.com.
What is Open Enrollment, and how is it different from my zoned school?
Open Enrollment is a process for a parent or guardian to apply for a student to attend a public school outside the zone of attendance the student is otherwise required to attend, according to the district Open Enrollment FAQs. CCSD assigns most students by the official residence of the parent or guardian. Zoning questions go to Demographics, Zoning, and GIS at 702 799 6430 or ccsd.net/zoning.
Only schools with available space appear on the live Open Enrollment eligibility list for 2027 to 2028. Schools over capacity are not in the process. No Open Enrollment request is accepted for a Magnet school program, the FAQs state. Prekindergarten sits outside Open Enrollment; the Early Childhood Department handles Pre K interest separately.
How is Open Enrollment different from a Magnet school?
Open Enrollment is not Magnet. Magnet programs are themed pathways (International Baccalaureate, arts, STEM, leadership, and others) with their own qualification and lottery rules on magnet.ccsd.net. Open Enrollment fills open seats at participating neighborhood campuses based on capacity. Both pathways share one SchoolMint School Choice form and the same on time deadline.
How many Open Enrollment applications can a family file?
You may apply to up to five schools or programs total across Magnet, Open Enrollment, and Central Technical Training Academy. No more than three applications may land in any single category, per the Open Enrollment page (checked October 6, 2026 PT). Spending three Open Enrollment slots leaves two for Magnet or Central Technical Training Academy, not three more of anything you already maxed.
What happens if more families apply than seats exist?
If a school receives more applications than seats, a computerized lottery decides offers. Students not selected stay in an alternate pool. Seats can fill through the tenth day of the school year. Parents get notice by text or email when results are ready, based on the communication choice on the application. The Open Enrollment FAQs state the district notifies parents whether on time requests were granted or denied prior to Spring Break.
Sibling preference can apply when a sibling already is enrolled and will be concurrently enrolled at that school for the upcoming year. Preferences apply only to a student's first choice on time application, per the FAQs. District employees who work full time at an age appropriate school may seek Open Enrollment for their child at that workplace campus regardless of space, with verified parental or guardianship proof, under the employee FAQ.
Once you accept an Open Enrollment seat, what sticks?
Once a family accepts a seat, all other Open Enrollment and Magnet applications for that student are automatically declined, the Open Enrollment page states. Central Technical Training Academy sits on the same School Choice form; for the full one seat rule across Magnet, Open Enrollment, and Central Tech, see the companion School Choice open window guide. Missed accept by the deadline, or a change of mind after accepting another choice seat, can be appealed; the FAQs say the appeal is granted only if the seat still exists. The accepted school becomes the student's home school of record. The student is expected to remain for the entire academic year. A parent and student must agree to stay at least one year. After one year, the student may return to the assigned zoned school. Withdrawal during the year to a non CCSD school, without a same year return, means the family must reapply.
Open Enrollment does not promote a student from elementary to middle or from middle to high school. A new Open Enrollment application is required at each level change. A current COSA or Open Enrollment student does not reapply each year to keep that seat; the seat runs through the highest grade at that school, and a new application is needed only at the next school level or for a different school.
Will CCSD bus my child on Open Enrollment?
CCSD Transportation will not provide a bus for students attending on an Open Enrollment option, the FAQs state flatly. Families arrange their own ride.
For grades 6 through 12, students are eligible for interscholastic athletics during the first 180 school days of an Open Enrollment assignment and retain eligibility while they remain on that same Open Enrollment. A midstream return to the assigned zoned school can bring 180 school days of ineligibility in any sports they rostered while on COSA or Open Enrollment, per the Open Enrollment FAQs. Contact the athletic administrator at the school you want before you treat Open Enrollment as a sports move.
Separately, for the 2026 to 2027 school year only, CCSD advertised an Open Enrollment Transportation Reimbursement Program of up to $1,000 for eligible families zoned for a 1 or 2 star school who enrolled in a 3 star or higher school through Open Enrollment. The district's transportation reimbursement page and a July 29, 2026, newsroom post say funds are not secured for 2027 to 2028 or beyond. Do not budget a 2027 to 2028 Open Enrollment seat on that reimbursement until the district posts a new year of rules. Magnet transportation is a different system; see the School Choice companion for that path.
Who should parents call, and what should you do before January 12?
Open Enrollment Department: 702 799 1040; CCSDOpenEnrollment@nv.ccsd.net or 0113-coasaccsd@nv.ccsd.net; 5100 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89146. Magnet Schools Department (for themed programs on the same form): 702 799 8492; magnetschools@nv.ccsd.net.
Pull the live eligibility list before you spend a choice slot. Confirm your zoned school if you are comparing Open Enrollment to staying put. In SchoolMint, stay inside five total and three per category, submit by Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at 3:00 p.m., and treat accepting one seat as closing the others.