School district: Most open enrollment requests approved

Almost all of the Clark County School District students who want to switch schools through open enrollment for the 2011-12 school year will get their wish, school officials said Friday.

The district said 98 percent of applicants, or 1,200 students, got their first choice of school.

The response was small, considering that the nation’s fifth-largest school district has nearly 310,000 students .

District officials said they will not provide transportation to students who switch, and applications were limited to schools that had room for more students. Schools of choice, such as magnet schools and career academies, were also excluded.

As of the Jan. 7 application deadline there were 1,200 applicants, including 364 from elementary schools, 401 from middle schools, and 435 from high schools. Open enrollment enticed 90 new students to the district from private or home schools.

Only 18 students were told they cannot move because they didn’t get their first choice and did not list a fallback.

Lotteries were needed at three schools where demand exceeded capacity. They were Greenspun Junior High in Henderson, Leavitt Middle School near Buffalo Drive and Lone Mountain Road in Las Vegas, and Lummis Elementary School, near Rampart and Lake Mead boulevards in Las Vegas.

Information on the schools that lost students through open enrollment was not available Friday.