Change of School Assignment (COSA)

• Once the student is enrolled through a COSA, the school becomes the student’s home school of record and the student must remain at the school for one school year.
• Once a student is enrolled through a COSA, he/she does not need to reapply each year unless he/she decides to apply for another school with available space.
• Families must carefully read the Agreement of Understanding prior to finalizing the application.

The District uses the official residence of the parent/guardian of the student to establish the school to which the student is assigned. For the purpose of assignment to a school, a student may not claim residence while living with an aunt, uncle, sister, brother, or other relative or friend, except as provided in Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) concerning guardianship.

• Approved for a COSA pursuant to Regulation 5112; or
• Approved for a COSA for a student of a District employee to attend the school where the employee is employed, as long as the employee provides verified proof of the parental rights or legal guardianship of the student; or
• Accepted into a magnet school program; or
• Assigned to another school pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP), have been assigned to an alternative school, or have made an English language learner (ELL) election to attend another school pursuant to Assembly Bill 219 of the 80th Session of the Nevada Legislature (NRS 388.408); or
• Assigned to a Prime 6 school option or a school on a zoning option approved by the Board of School Trustees; or
• Determined homeless or in foster care and assisted through the existing processes while retaining school of origin rights; or
• Approved for Administrative School Assignment.

Students who are currently attending a school on a COSA in Grades K-12 during the 2024–2025  school year will be grandfathered at the school they are currently attending and will be allowed to remain at the school until the final grade offered at the designated school is completed.

Students who are currently in Grades 5 and 8 during the 2024–2025  school year and attending a school on a COSA must either complete an application for a COSA at a school with available space or return to their assigned attendance zone school for the 2025-2026 school year. A COSA does not provide for students to be promoted from an elementary school to a middle school or to a middle school to a high school. A new request for a COSA must be made for the next school level.

The District will annually post a list of schools with available space at It’s Your Choice. Families may apply through an online application process to a school with available space within the COSA process. If there are more applications than available space, the District will conduct a computerized, random lottery for student selection.

The COSA process will begin in Late Fall 2024, and conclude on January 14, 2025, for Phase 1 on-time applications for the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. Parents/Guardians can access the online application through It’s Your Choice. If a student does not enroll in the new assigned school by the specified deadline, the COSA will be revoked and the student will attend his/her assigned zoned school.

The list of eligible schools is identified in collaboration with the Demographics, Zoning, and Geographic Information System (GIS) Department. Multiple factors are considered, including a school’s available capacity and enrollment, projected future enrollment, and current building utilization. Please note that no COSA request will be accepted for any magnet school program.

The District shall notify parents/guardians via written notice whether requests have been granted or denied during February and March. Parents/Guardians must respond through the mechanism provided by the District by the specified date after notification that they are accepting the COSA. If the request is not granted, a parent/guardian may request another school with available space through the COSA process during the late application process or apply to available magnet schools.

During the late application process conducted by August of each school year, the District shall notify parents/guardians via written notice whether requests have been granted or denied. Parents/Guardians must respond through the mechanism provided by the District by the specified date after notification that they are accepting the COSA.

Transportation will not be provided for students who attend school as a result of a COSA.

There is not an appeal process if a student is not selected for a COSA through the lottery process. However, the student will remain in a pool of available applicants.

If the school a parent/guardian wants to submit an application for a COSA is not on the list, the school does not have available space to be in the application process for a COSA.

A student of a District employee may attend the school where the employee is employed regardless of space available, as long as the employee provides verified proof of the parental rights or legal guardianship of the student and completes a COSA application to verify the request. Nevada’s Administrative Code (NAC) guidelines 388.150 must be followed when Case Management, Student Services Division, places students in self-contained programs.

A student of a District employee may attend the school where the employee is employed regardless of seat capacity, as long as the employee provides verified proof of the parental rights or legal guardianship of the student and completes a COSA application to verify the request. Nevada’s Administrative Code (NAC) guidelines 388.150 must be followed when Case Management, Student Services Division, places students in self-contained programs.

Yes, only if the school is on the eligible COSA list.

A student applying for a COSA will receive a sibling preference in the lottery process if the sibling is already enrolled and attending the school to which the student applies. Siblings must be concurrently enrolled at the school for the upcoming school year for the sibling preference in the lottery to be applicable. Preferences are only applied to a student’s first choice on-time application.

For purposes of sibling preference, a sibling is defined as a brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister living in the same household. In the case of foster children, this sibling preference applies to related siblings within the household. In a group home situation, only those students selected through the lottery and their related siblings, if they have applied, will be included in the sibling preference.

The parent/guardian may remain in a pool of available applicants until if/when they are selected. The parent/guardian may apply to another school with available space until day ten of the upcoming school year through a late application process. Parents/Guardians may also apply to another school choice option through It’s Your Choice.

The Administrative School Assignment will be considered by the central services office designated by the Superintendent of Schools in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Superintendent with the applicable region superintendent. Administrative School Assignment will be considered throughout the school year and must include written justification regarding life changing or catastrophic conditions.

Residential affidavits are not applicable. If a student qualifies for Title I Hope Services, communication will be provided in spring 2025 announcing processes. Please contact Education Services Division personnel at the Office for Shared Housing at 702-799-8630 for residential affidavit questions and/or documents. 151-SharedHousing@nv.ccsd.net

Students who are in Grades 9-11 will be grandfathered under the revised District policy and regulation and allowed to remain at the COSA school; therefore, they will maintain their athletic eligibility, as long as they continue to meet all CCSD and NIAA regulations.

Secondary students in grades 9-12 will be ineligible for varsity-level interscholastic athletics during the first 180 school days of a Change of School Assignment. Students in grades 6-8 will be ineligible for interscholastic athletics during the first 180 school days of a Change of School Assignment.

Students who do not exercise the option to continue attending a school within COSA or Administrative Placement options will follow all NIAA regulations, as they pertain to transferring to another school after being issued a variance in the zone of attendance. Such transfers result in being declared ‘ineligible’ at their residential zoned school. All inquiries should be directed to the school’s athletic administrator.

The Early Childhood Department will manage interest and student placement for all general education Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) students in the Clark County School District. The Change of School Assignment process is reserved for students in Grades K-12. To express interest and have your student placed on the interest and/or waitlist for a Pre-K program, parents/guardians may complete the Pre-Kindergarten Interest Form.

Should your family move throughout the school year, and your child is enrolled with a Change of School Assignment, your child will be able to complete the remainder of the school year at the school. At the end of the school year, you may enroll your child at the school in which you are zoned. Other options may be available on It's Your Choice.

You are able to apply to a magnet program as well as a COSA. The application and selection timelines run at the same time so that families can have the ability to apply for multiple options within CCSD.