[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by olecapt

The elementary schools are by lottery. The High Schools have admittance requirements and are competitive...Adtech, LV Academy, The CSN High Schools. Lotteries take place at the secondary level only if the program is over booked.

Even admittance to schools revolves around gambling techniques...a lottery!

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

Even admittance to schools revolves around gambling techniques...a lottery!

About 1 chance in 3 Billion or so of being hit by a meteorite...so you gamble every time you set foot out of bed....

[radraja]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

LOL...pubic! Most high schools are!

Ahh..sorry. Typo. I obviously meant to say "public".

Anyway, a few friends of mine were enrolled in magnet high schools. It is based on admissions criteria, but because so many qualified kids apply, it does become lottery. A few of the magnet schools offer buses around the valley, but not all.

[arcticfoxxx]

Lottery or not . . .

I went to a southern california university ranked in the top 25%. 80% of nevada students admitted were from Las Vegas Academy.

So, in other words, it's a gamble worth taking.

[janeannwho]

The only drawback about magnet schools in Las Vegas is that there are not enough of them. Las Vegas Academy is great. Compared to Green Valley one of the best in the district, the atmosphere at LVA was so much more conducive to academics and growth. We moved too late to Las Vegas to manage the program for my older son and he would have thrived there. My younger son was a dual french and band major and he did very well. The part about bussing is that the kids are picked up around the city and taken to a central location where they get on busses for their particular magnet. It takes a bit of time so most of us got together for the morning and let them ride the busses home at night.

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by janeannwho

...My younger son was a dual french and band major and he did very well...

My guess then, would be that he played the French Horn?

[janeannwho]

but of course

[hapahaolegirl]

Well, just want to clarify that there are magnet school programs at the elementary, middle and high school levels in Las Vegas. I am doing so, because I wish I had known that when we moved here.

Even though we bought a home in an area zoned for what was rated as the top school district at the time (according to test scores), I still feel that the life education my son received while attending a magnet school was worth the drive. IMHO, the suburban schools do not teach enough about life in the real world. I liked the mulitcultural and mixed socioeconomic backgrounds of the students in the magnet school as well as their emphasis on academics.

Additionally, at the time my son was a magnet student (2003 to 2006), bus service was provided to all students. I haven't heard that that has changed. You had to go to your zoned school for pick-up (very early in the morning) and most students had to switch buses as mentioned in the earlier post.

The two main cons of magnet schools, and the reason my son decided to attend our zoned high school, is 1) they either start an hour earlier than regular schools (to fit in the extra elective of their "major") or run an hour later (high schools) and 2) most high schools do not have sports teams (although magnet students may play sports at their zoned schools - however, the longer hours will make you late for practice).

[jfkIII]

One other good thing about magnet schools...the magnets are so powerful that when a student walks through the entrance door...they will extricate him/her of any metal objects such as knives, guns, shanks....and even tooth fillings and braces!

[athletesfoot]

Magnet schools are in those neighborhoods for a reason - they are designed to actually be "magnets" to attract bright diverse students to an area that might otherwise be a totally lower-income population (often largely made up of a higher proportion of hispanic ELL students). The students in the magnet program benefit from an excellent educational program and the other students at the school benefit as well. You can go to Clark County School District and search for magnet schools to view a power point presentation on the various programs available.

Also to clarify - GATE is the gifted and talented education program at elementary schools. All schools have it (or should if there are enough students -my school shares our GATE teacher with another school). This is not the same as a specialized magnet program. GATE requires testing and falls under the umbrella of special education services, albiet on the opposite end from students with learning disabilities. Magnet schools are what I stated above and include specialized programs in Law, Medicine, Engineering, Business, Hospitality, International Studies, Performing Arts, etc.