Private schools enroll fewer than 5 percent of K-12 students in Nevada, but their small class sizes and specialized offerings — which can include religious education — contribute to their appeal among the approximately 22,000 children enrolled last school year.
And although there are about 130 registered private schools in the state, they're poised to become a bigger player in the Nevada school landscape. A new federal tax credit scholarship program could make them more affordable to families who otherwise can't afford thousands of dollars a year in tuition.
Unlike public schools, private schools typically charge a fee to apply and attend. They don't receive state funding. That also means they don't follow all the federal and state rules that public schools have to abide by — such as requiring teachers to have state-issued licenses.
While public schools are prohibited from promoting or advancing any particular religion, private schools can be connected to a church or ministry, and include religious education in their curriculum such as studying the Bible, Quran or the Torah, attending Mass and learning Hebrew or Arabic.
However, religious school officials who were interviewed for this story said they accept non-religious students and students of different faiths. About 30 percent of students at The Dr. Miriam & Sheldon G. Adelson School, a Jewish school serving about 500 students in preschool through 12th grade, are not Jewish, said Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, the head of school.
Academics is another draw for families as private schools students generally outperform their public school counterparts — though some researchers have argued that those results have more to do with the socioeconomic advantages that those students tend to have. Unlike public schools, private schools can be selective about students they enroll relative to public schools.
Private schools also boast small class sizes. For example, Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School, located in North Las Vegas, and Henderson International School, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, say they have class sizes of up to 15 students. That's higher than class size ratios at the Clark County School District, which ranges from 21 students in kindergarten to 24 students in third grade, according to a Sept. 2025 report.
Here's what you need to know about Nevada private schools.
What does the admission process look like?
Many private schools use academic assessments, conduct interviews with the student and parents, and look at students' academic performance, attendance and behavioral records to determine whether they will admit a student.
Laura Bruni, the owner and founder of Embrace Academy, a small Summerlin private school that serves students with and without special needs, said she takes into consideration whether a student's behavior was malicious or stemmed from a medical condition such as autism.
Some schools also require students to take part in a shadow day where students can experience the school for the day and school officials can get to know the student better before making a decision.
Some school leaders also call students' past teachers to get their feedback.
Who can apply?
Eligibility can vary from school to school.
Catherine Thompson, superintendent for the Archdiocese of Las Vegas' Catholic schools, said they give priority to students who are children of registered and contributing parishioners of the church of the school they want to attend, especially if they have a sibling already attending the school.
Cristo Rey targets students of limited economic means. Elsa Ndukwu, the school's director of recruitment and admissions, said all families are welcome to apply, but the school may have to get approval from its network if a family's income exceeds a certain threshold (that is not publicly shared).
Gottlieb said the Adelson school is proudly Jewish, proudly Zionist and proudly American and sees the state of Israel and the U.S. as good institutions that have some flaws, but are ultimately "important hallmarks of freedom and liberty and Jewish tradition." He said the school's families should share those beliefs.
How much is tuition?
At the Archdiocese of Las Vegas' schools, tuition can vary depending on the student's grade level, and whether the family is actively involved at the church connected to the school.
For the 2026-27 school year, tuition across the Catholic schools can range from $7,200 per year for the child of an active parishioner at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church to about $17,000 for a non-Catholic student at Bishop Gorman High School.
The Omar Haikal Islamic Academy, Las Vegas' only Muslim private school, charges $7,500 per year for students in pre-K through eighth grade.
At Henderson International School, which touts early education in Spanish, tuition for next school year starts at $13,600 for half day preschool and goes up to about $26,000 per year for students in grades sixth through eighth.
At Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School, a student's tuition is offset by their participation in the school's work study program and other financial aid and scholarships depending on the family's income. That can bring the price down from $17,000 a year to as low as $250 a year.
For next school year, tuition at the Adelson School will start at about $24,000 a year for preschool students and go up to about $32,000 for high school students.
Embrace Academy, which caters to gifted students, neurodiverse students and students in general education, charges $22,000 a year across all grade levels.
For next school year, tuition at the Sage Ridge School — the only nonreligious private school in the Reno area that serves students from first grade through high school — will start at $17,000 for first grade students and go up to $26,000 for high schools.
Sage Ridge Head of School Ginger Hovenic and spokeswoman Megan Baroska said the tuition cost is investment toward students' futures as 100 percent of its students graduate and go on to college, often on merit-based scholarships.
At Newton Northern Nevada, a nonprofit private school in Reno serving students diagnosed with high-functioning autism and similar disabilities, tuition is about $13,000 a year.
Private schools may also charge additional one-time or ongoing fees for applications, registration, school supplies, uniforms, lunch, textbooks and activities.
Some private schools offer discounts for siblings; the Henderson International School also gives a discount for referrals.
Is there any financial assistance available?
Many private schools offer financial assistance to certain families. At the Adelson school, eligibility for financial aid begins in kindergarten. The Sage Ridge School offers full scholarships for high-achieving eighth students from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds, aligning with the school's mission. Sage Ridge offers other financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition, the state's Educational Choice Scholarship Program, better known as the Opportunity Scholarship program, is designed to help students from low-income families access a private school education.
Nevada students whose families make 300 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines qualify for an Opportunity Scholarship. In 2026, that's $99,000 a year for a family of four.
The maximum scholarship amount per student for the 2025-2026 school year is $10,094. But because the program's funding is limited, not every student that applies can get the full amount or even get a scholarship.
About 1,300 students received an Opportunity Scholarship during the 2024-25 school year, according to a Nevada Department of Education report.
A new federal school choice tax credit program that Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed up for may also offer additional financial assistance to more Nevada families in the future. Details about how students can apply for this new scholarship program and who qualifies are unknown as federal regulations are being developed.
What academic, sports and extracurricular opportunities are available?
This can vary depending on the school's size and resources.
The Adelson School offers opportunities such as an animatronics class and a Moot Beit Din club (a sort of Jewish moot court) and more.
Sage Ridge has had programs on hydroponics, the physics of flight, robotics, drones, scuba driving and Lake Tahoe ecology.
Ndukwu said Cristo Rey continues to support students after they graduate from college. The school's alumni adviser follows up with recent graduates and will even travel to meet with students who have gone outside of Nevada for college.
"We really follow through with them to make sure that they are continuing to be enrolled in their university and that they graduate," she said.
Almost all private schools The Indy interviewed offer some type of athletics across all grade levels.
As a smaller school that recently opened, Embrace Academy doesn't offer sports, but Bruni said she would consider it as the academy grows.
Do private schools accept students with special needs?
It can depend, as not all private schools are equipped to support all students' individual needs. Unlike public schools that are federally required to educate students with disabilities, it's up to private schools to decide whether they want to invest resources into special education, which can be more expensive than general education.
Thompson said only one of the diocese's schools, the St. Viator Parish School, has a dedicated program for students with disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy.
Embrace Academy provides inclusive education for students with special needs. This means that these students aren't separated from the rest of the class, said Bruni, who has worked for three decades as a special education teacher in public and private schools.
Newton Northern Nevada offers various accommodations for its students, many who have been diagnosed on the higher end of the autism spectrum or similar disabilities. Those accommodations include flexible seating, fidgets, modified classwork and adjusted schedules. The school doesn't offer additional support services, but can provide a space for students to receive them, according to the school's brochure.
What expectations must students meet?
Many of the expectations are similar to what families might find at other schools such as prohibiting fighting or bullying.
Henderson International School and the Adelson School don't allow students to use cell phones during the entire school day.
The Adelson School is a drug-free campus. Gottlieb said the school does random drug testing on students and faculty alike.
Omar Haikal Islamic Academy relies on teachers, religious leaders, student focus groups, school counselors and prayers to deal with behavioral issues before they escalate, said Principal Bouchra Abdane.
"We don't see outrageous behavior that we cannot handle," she said.