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AB 533

Relating to: requiring voter education instruction in the elementary and high school grades and incorporating voter education instruction into the state model social studies standards. (FE)

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Deb Andraca and 13 co-sponsors

AB 533 creates a statewide open enrollment within districts, allowing eligible Nevada public school students to transfer to another within-district school with capacity, via distri

Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · AB 533

AB 533 — Summary (2025)

Status: Enacted — Chapter 486, Statutes of 2025 (approved by the Governor 2025)
Subject: Revises provisions relating to education — establishes a statewide within‑district open enrollment program and related requirements.

Purpose / Intent

AB 533 creates a statutory framework to allow Nevada public school pupils to attend a public school outside their assigned zone of attendance when the receiving school has capacity in the pupil’s grade level. The goal is to expand family choice within districts, increase transparency about available seats, and provide mechanisms (including limited grant funding) to help with transportation.

Key provisions

  • Open enrollment eligibility

    • A pupil may attend a public school outside the pupil’s zone of attendance if the receiving school is not at capacity at the pupil’s grade level and the pupil is approved under the district’s process.
    • Certain exceptions (charter schools, university schools for profoundly gifted pupils, foster‑care exceptions, fictitious address protections, and existing protections for English learners) remain intact.

  • Application & notification

    • The State Superintendent is required to establish or review application processes and guidelines; applications must include an annual deadline and a process to notify the pupil, parent/guardian, and principals when an application is approved.
    • Applications must be made available in multiple commonly spoken non‑English languages.

  • Capacity, enrollment priority, and lotteries

    • Districts must set grade‑level capacity limits for each public school and may not measure capacity by specialized programs when determining grade‑level capacity.
    • If applications exceed capacity, districts must adopt a fair method (e.g., lottery) to determine admissions.
    • Approved transfers may be permanent without reapplication in subsequent years while within grade limits.

  • Non‑discrimination and prohibitions

    • Districts may not consider a pupil’s academic/artistic/athletic ability, extracurricular participation, disability status, English learner status, residential address, or (with limited exception for serious recent suspensions/expulsions) disciplinary history when processing applications.
    • Schools/districts may not charge tuition for transfers.

  • Appeals and oversight

    • Parents/guardians may appeal denials: first to the district superintendent; if upheld, an appeal may be made to the State Superintendent, whose decision is final.
    • The State Department of Education (NDE) must publish transfer data and vacancies online (frequency clarified in amendments).

  • Transportation & grants

    • A district that provides pupil transportation may elect not to provide transportation to pupils attending schools outside their zone.
    • The Department is directed, to the extent funds are available, to establish a grant program to award money to organizations or parents/guardians to provide transportation for eligible pupils (eligibility criteria and regulations to be developed by NDE).
    • Districts may accept gifts and grants to implement open enrollment procedures.

Who is affected

  • Pupils and families seeking to transfer within their home school district
  • School districts (board policy-making, capacity reporting, application processing, and possible transportation decisions)
  • Nevada Department of Education (rulemaking, data publication, and administering transportation grant program)

Procedural / fiscal notes

  • The measure underwent multiple amendments (application language, vacancy reporting frequency, capacity methodology, transportation grant provisions).
  • The bill contains an unfunded mandate statement and may have fiscal impacts on local school districts and state administration (NDE rulemaking and grant administration).
  • Final implementation details (regulations, application forms, grant eligibility and funding) are to be set by the Superintendent/Department under the statute.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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