People search for the best high schools in Reno, and I understand why. But a real estate team is the wrong source for that verdict, and fair-housing rules keep us from steering anyone by school. So this guide doesn't rate schools or rank neighborhoods by them. It gives you the official data, in alphabetical order, and shows you how enrollment works in the Washoe County School District, which covers Reno, Sparks and the rest of the county.
Updated October 31, 2026: this guide used to cite third-party school ratings and tie home prices to school zones. Both are gone. Every school figure now comes from WCSD or the Nevada Department of Education's Report Card, and several outdated addresses and program claims were corrected.
We don't rate schools, so this guide has no best list: the official record is the Nevada Report Card, which shows the Washoe County School District graduating 83.35% of its class of 2025, against 85.49% statewide. Your address sets your zoned high school. AACT and Debbie Smith take applications, TMCC High School has its own requirements, and School of Choice is a lottery for open seats.
- The state's class of 2025 graduation rate for Washoe County was 83.35%, against 85.49% statewide.
- Washoe County School District counted 57,911 students in 2026-27, plus 3,887 in sponsored charter schools.
- AACT and Debbie Smith take applications; their window for 2027-28 closed on October 16, 2026.
- School of Choice is a lottery for open seats, and the spring window opens February 1, 2027.
- Run every address through WCSD's Find My Zoned School tool before you rely on a school.
Curious what's for sale right now? Reno homes for sale has live MLS listings with prices and filters.
How Do Reno High Schools Compare on Official Data?
The table lists 17 Washoe County public high schools alphabetically: the zoned schools, the application schools and two charters. It leaves out small alternative programs in the state report, such as enCompass Academy, North Star Online and Washoe Inspire Academy. Enrollment comes from WCSD's 2026-27 enrollment count. Graduation rates and class sizes come from the state's 2025-2026 accountability report for Washoe County on the Nevada Report Card.
| School | City | How you enroll | Enrollment, 2026-27 | Class of 2025 graduation rate | Average English class size, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy for Career Education (ACE) | Reno | Charter, by choice | 313 | Over 95% | 11.7 |
| Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology (AACT) | Reno | Application | 513 | Over 95% | 25.3 |
| Coral Academy of Science | Reno | Charter | 382 (grades 9–12) | 93.75% | 22.4 |
| Damonte Ranch | Reno | Zoned | 1,666 | 83.8% | 29.1 |
| Debbie Smith CTE Academy | Reno | Application | 736 | Not in the report | 26.4 |
| Galena | Reno | Zoned | 1,342 | 93.52% | 28.7 |
| Hug | Sparks | Zoned | 1,660 | 77.58% | 26.9 |
| Incline | Incline Village | Zoned | 249 | Over 95% | 15.5 |
| Innovations | Reno | Application | 180 | 45.1% | 16.3 |
| McQueen | Reno | Zoned | 1,552 | 87.13% | 24.7 |
| North Valleys | Reno | Zoned | 2,035 | 83.44% | 27.5 |
| Reed | Sparks | Zoned | 1,945 | 85.5% | 28.7 |
| Reno High | Reno | Zoned | 1,791 | 85.27% | 30 |
| Spanish Springs | Sparks | Zoned | 2,085 | 88.95% | 27.2 |
| Sparks High | Sparks | Zoned | 1,088 | 72.86% | 27.8 |
| TMCC High School | Reno | Application | 229 | Over 95% | 24.5 |
| Wooster | Reno | Zoned, plus applied programs | 1,026 | 80.93% | 24.7 |
Read these as facts, not a scoreboard. Graduation rates reflect who a school serves as well as what it does, and an application school starts from a different group of students than a zoned one. The class of 2025 is the newest cohort the state reports. Those rates are from the state's table; WCSD's own highlight in the same report gives the district 82.95%. Statewide average English class size was 20.5 in the same report, and Washoe's was 26.4. The Report Card also publishes the state's star ratings and test results; open it for a specific school if you want them. WCSD's High School Opportunities page describes each school's programs in the district's own words.
How Does High School Enrollment Work in Washoe County?
There are four ways in. Zoned: every WCSD address has an assigned high school; enter the address in the district's Find My Zoned School tool. Application: AACT and Debbie Smith are stand-alone academies that take applications. School of Choice: a lottery for seats outside your zone. Charter: separate schools with their own enrollment.
According to WCSD's School of Choice page, parents may apply only to schools that have space and aren't over capacity, and qualified applications go into a computerized random lottery. The fall window for 2027-28 ran October 19 to 30, 2026, with placement notices due early to mid December. The spring window runs February 1 to February 12, 2027. Many schools are closed to transfers at capacity, and the district's FAQ says transportation isn't provided for School of Choice students, so don't count on a seat when you choose a home. Questions go to the office at 775-333-6099.
Which Reno High Schools Take Applications?
The list below comes from WCSD's High School Opportunities page and its career and technical education page.
- Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology (AACT), 380 Edison Way, Reno 89502. A career and technical education academy. Applications for 2027-28 opened August 24 and closed October 16, 2026.
- Debbie Smith Career and Technical Education Academy, 2880 Sutro St., Reno 89512. Its academies include nursing, building construction, biomedical, marketing and multimedia, natural resources, welding, teaching, engineering and culinary. It shares the same application window as AACT.
- TMCC High School, 7000 Dandini Blvd., Reno 89512. Students in grades 10 to 12 earn a diploma and college credit together. WCSD lists a 3.0 minimum GPA, good attendance and behavior, and no credit deficiency.
- Innovations High School, 777 W. 2nd St., Reno 89503. A project-based school that WCSD says is geared toward students with diverse learning needs, with smaller classes.
- Wooster's International Baccalaureate and Bilingual Education programs, 1331 E. Plumb Ln., Reno 89502. Both have their own applications inside a zoned high school.
- North Star Online School. WCSD's tuition-free, accredited online school for kindergarten through grade 12. Ask the school how to enroll.
WCSD says most career and technical programs at traditional high schools need no application for students zoned there. They sign up with a counselor during spring registration.
What Are Reno's Charter High School Options?
WCSD's enrollment file lists its sponsored charter schools separately, with 3,887 students in 2026-27. Two appear in the table above. Coral Academy of Science, which WCSD lists as a district-sponsored charter, had 2,303 students across all grades. Academy for Career Education (ACE) enrolls by parent and student choice and is not a zoned school, according to the state report. Each charter runs its own enrollment, so ask the school for its dates and rules.
Which Comprehensive High Schools Serve Reno?
Most Reno students attend a zoned comprehensive high school. These are the addresses WCSD publishes, with a program or two from its own descriptions.
| School | Address | Programs WCSD names |
|---|---|---|
| Damonte Ranch | 10500 Rio Wrangler Pkwy., 89521 | Performing Arts Center; computer science, culinary arts, forensic science, military science |
| Galena | 3600 Butch Cassidy Way, 89511 | STEM Academy, Outdoor Academy; culinary arts, metalworking, military science |
| McQueen | 6055 Lancer St., 89523 | Culinary arts, computer science, construction technology, military science |
| North Valleys | 1470 E. Golden Valley Rd., 89506 | Center for Agricultural Science and Engineering; Air Force JROTC |
| Reno High | 395 Booth St., 89509 | Red House Project; military science |
| Wooster | 1331 E. Plumb Ln., 89502 | International Baccalaureate; bilingual education |
Sparks and Incline Village addresses include Hug at 3530 Sullivan Lane, Reed at 1350 Baring Blvd., Spanish Springs at 1065 Eagle Canyon Dr., Sparks High at 820 15th St., and Incline at 499 Village Blvd. Hug moved from Sutro Street in Reno to its Sullivan Lane campus in 2022, according to WCSD.
What Are the Private High School Options in Reno?
Private schools aren't in WCSD's enrollment file or the table above, so these details come from the schools themselves. Bishop Manogue Catholic High School lists 2026-27 tuition of $16,350, a $700 annual enrollment fee and a $1,000 Catholic parish discount. Sage Ridge School in Reno describes itself on its admissions page as an independent college-preparatory day school that runs through grade 12. Ask each school for current tuition, aid and admission dates. Our private schools in Reno guide has more.
What Should You Do About Schools Before You Make an Offer?
Treat the zone as a fact to confirm for that address, on that date.
- Look up the address. Use WCSD's Find My Zoned School tool, and call the district if a home sits near a boundary.
- Ask about changes. Zones move. According to KOLO, the board unanimously approved new boundaries in December 2025 that change nine schools' enrollment zones for 2028-29. Ask WCSD whether a pending change touches the address.
- Check new subdivisions. A new development can be assigned to a school and rezoned later, so ask the district, not a sales office.
- Read the official data yourself. The Nevada Report Card and WCSD's site are the sources. Our agents can show you homes in any part of the county, but we won't tell you which school or neighborhood is better.
For the rest of a move, see our Reno relocation guide, cost of living in Reno and moving to Reno: honest pros and cons. For homes elsewhere in the county, start with our Northern Nevada communities directory or Incline Village. Our buyer resources cover the purchase itself. Call our Northern Nevada team at (775) 277-2120 or use our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reno High Schools
What are the best high schools in Reno, Nevada?
We don't rate schools or publish a best list. The official sources are the Nevada Report Card and the Washoe County School District. The table in this guide lists enrollment, class of 2025 graduation rates and class sizes for each public high school, alphabetically.
What is the Washoe County School District graduation rate?
83.35% for the class of 2025, according to the state's 2025-2026 accountability report, against 85.49% statewide. That is the newest cohort the state reports.
Does Reno have any magnet or IB high schools?
AACT and Debbie Smith CTE Academy are stand-alone career academies that take applications, and TMCC High School offers a diploma with college credit. Wooster High has an International Baccalaureate program with its own application.
How can I find out which high school a home is zoned for?
Enter the address in WCSD's Find My Zoned School tool. Do it for each home, and ask the district about any approved boundary changes.
Can a student attend a high school outside the zone?
Only through School of Choice or an application school. School of Choice is a lottery for open seats at schools that aren't at capacity. The spring window for 2027-28 runs February 1 to February 12, 2027.
Are there private high school options in Reno?
Yes. Bishop Manogue Catholic High School lists 2026-27 tuition of $16,350, and Sage Ridge School runs through grade 12. Ask each school for current terms.
Which Sources Inform This Reno High Schools Guide?
School data comes only from the Washoe County School District and the Nevada Department of Education. Assignments, boundaries and programs change, so confirm specifics with the district before acting. This is general information, not educational, legal or financial advice.
- Nevada Report Card, Washoe County School District 2025-2026 accountability report
- WCSD enrollment counts, including 2026-27
- WCSD: Who We Are
- WCSD High School Opportunities
- WCSD School of Choice
- WCSD Career and Technical Education
- WCSD Find My Zoned School
- KOLO on the December 2025 boundary vote
- Bishop Manogue tuition and Sage Ridge School admissions: each school's own site
Verify current enrollment boundaries and school assignments directly with the Washoe County School District before making any purchase decision. Nevada Real Estate Group · (775) 277-2120 · NV License S.181401.
