Metro Nashville Public Schools

A School For Every Student

Metro Schools offer a wide variety of unique academic programs, supports, and extracurricular activities in locations that span the city,  ensuring students have access to the tools they need to thrive and be successful. MNPS is home to 158 schools and a community of dedicated teachers and administrators who provide students with the education they deserve.

Partnering with you and your family, we want to provide your child with a complete educational experience that allows them to graduate prepared for success in college, the professional world, and life. MNPS offers personalized learning Pre-K - 12, making sure every student is known and supported.

Families can choose from their zoned school, apply to a charter school, or select a school outside their neighborhood or zone through the school options process. Visit the district maps page for more schools, cluster, optional schools maps. 

School Options Process 

• Application results can be found in the online portal.
• Seats at choice schools can be accepted in the online portal.
• The school options application for 2022-23 is now closed but seats may be available after families make their school selections. Contact the School Options email department to verify available space.

New to the District or Switching Schools in the Current School Year?

We accept, at any time, optional schools applications from students who are new to MNPS or currently enrolled in an MNPS school but would like to apply to a charter that participates in our district's optional school application process. You can begin the application on our optional schools online portal. 

2023-2024 School Options Application  

• The optional schools application for the 2023-2024 school year was open from January 23 to February 10.

Important Dates  

March 24

• Acceptance letters must be returned by 4:30 p.m. CST Friday, March 24 or by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 24 if acceptance is done online.  
• Results for grades 11 and 12 will be available online or by calling the Family Information Center  
  • Deadline to accept a seat for 11th and 12th Grade is 4:30 p.m. CST Monday, April 10 or by 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 10 if the acceptance is online.

Selection Day results were initially posted Monday, March 6.

• Students entering preschool, Pre-K, 11th and 12th grades are not included on March 6. 
  • Applicants in the 11th and 12th grade go through a transcript review process for admission to available seats. All completed applications with transcript review documentation must be received on or before March 10, to be part of the random selection process. The random selection results will be available on March 24.
  • A separate random selection process will be held for Pre-K seats in March 2023. A separate application is required to apply for a preschool and Pre-K seat in all schools, including Stanford Montessori and Hull-Jackson Montessori.
• Download the informational School Options Booklet for a complete calendar of important dates and deadlines.

Informational School Options Booklet

• The informational and comprehensive application booklet - which includes important dates and deadlines - is available for download in the document container at the bottom of this page in several languages.
• Translations for the application booklet are available for download in the document container on this page. The translations are:
  • Arabic
  • Burmese
  • Kurdish
  • Somali
  • Spanish
  • Swahili

Wait List Results 

You can check your waitlist position in the online portal if you:

• you are on the waitlist for an option school.
• applied for multiple schools and did not receive placement at your higher ranked choice schools, check your waitlist position in the online portal. 

Before You Apply to an Optional School

Explore Metro Schools

To fully compare school options and make informed selections on the Optional Schools Application, families are strongly encouraged to engage with the schools that interest them, including their zoned school. 

• Visit the school’s website and social media pages or call the front office to learn about virtual or in-person events — an important step to ensure the climate, culture and educational offerings of a school will meet your child’s needs.
• A list of optional schools can be reviewed on this page and on the optional school map.

Optional Schools List for 2023-2024

Key for School List

• *Indicates charter school
• (M) indicates magnet school

Metro Schools has transitioned the majority of its elementary and middle schools to a Kindergarten to 5 and 6 to 8 grade configuration, respectively.

If a school has not made this transition or otherwise follows a different configuration, the grade levels available for enrollment are indicated in parentheses.

Translated Optional Schools Application