A magnet school is a public school, run by a school district, that offers a special theme or program to attract students from across the district. Common themes include science and technology, the performing arts, world languages and the International Baccalaureate.
How admission works
Admission rules vary. Many magnet schools use a lottery, some consider applications or auditions, and some reserve seats for students from the surrounding neighborhood. Magnet programs began partly as a voluntary way to reduce racial segregation, and some still use them for that purpose.
Magnet schools and charter schools
Magnet schools are part of the regular district and follow district rules. Charter schools operate under a separate charter and often outside district control. Both are tuition-free public schools.
Magnet data on this site
The NCES magnet school flag is not populated in the current version of our data, so we do not yet show which schools are magnets or build magnet lists. Contact the district directly to ask about magnet programs.
Sources
Written by the BCER.org editorial team.