Nashville, Tennessee · Davidson County
Nashville Magnet Schools
Compare every K–12 & childcare option in Metro Nashville
Your zoned school — the one set by your home address — is the only school guaranteed to have a seat for your child. A magnet application does not put that seat at risk, and families normally apply to a magnet while keeping the zoned school as the fallback. Find your zoned school by address →
Compared, not ranked. The table is alphabetical. Grades and focus area come from MNPS; the state letter grade is issued by the Tennessee Department of Education for 2024-25 and is shown for context, not as a recommendation. A blank grade means the state does not grade that school, not that it scored poorly.
| School | Grades | Focus | Neighborhood | State grade (2024-25) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter-Lawrence Elementary | K–5 | Health Science & Engineering (STEAM) | Midtown | C |
| Early College High School | 9–12 | Early college | The Nations / Sylvan Park | A |
| East Nashville Magnet High | 9–12 | International Baccalaureate | Lockeland Springs / East End | C |
| East Nashville Magnet Middle | 6–8 | International Baccalaureate | Lockeland Springs / East End | D |
| Glendale Elementary | K–5 | Spanish immersion | Berry Hill / 12South | B |
| Head Magnet Middle School | 6–8 | Academic magnet | Midtown | A |
| Hull-Jackson Elementary | K–5 | Montessori | Germantown / North | C |
| Hume-Fogg Academic High School | 9–12 | Academic magnet | Downtown | A |
| Isaiah T. Creswell Middle (Arts) | 6–8 | Performing & visual arts | Bordeaux | C |
| John Early Museum Magnet Middle | 6–8 | Museum studies | Germantown / North | C |
| Lockeland Elementary | PreK–5 | Literature & language arts | Lockeland Springs / East End | A |
| Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl | 7–12 | Academic magnet | Midtown | A |
| Meigs Magnet Middle School | 5–8 | Academic magnet | Lockeland Springs / East End | A |
| Nashville Big Picture High School | 9–12 | Project-based learning | The Nations / Sylvan Park | D |
| Nashville School of the Arts | 9–12 | Performing & visual arts | Woodbine | B |
| Rose Park Math & Science Magnet | 6–8 | Math & science | Midtown | C |
| Stanford Elementary | K–5 | Montessori | Donelson | B |
| Stratford STEM Magnet Lower Campus | 5–8 | STEM | Inglewood | C |
Source: Metro Nashville Public Schools for grades, focus area and location; Tennessee Department of Education 2024-25 school letter grades. Always confirm details with the school before applying.
Magnet admission runs through the MNPS School Options application, which opens in January. Most magnets use a lottery when applications exceed seats, and some academic magnets also weigh prior coursework or an audition. The full walkthrough is on the applying page, and the dates — as soon as MNPS publishes them — are on Key Dates.
A magnet school is a Metro Nashville public school built around a particular focus — academics, the arts, Montessori, STEM, International Baccalaureate or language immersion. Any Davidson County family can apply regardless of their home address, because magnets are not zoned. Admission is by application, and most use a lottery when there are more applicants than seats.
This guide lists 18 MNPS magnet schools serving Davidson County, covering elementary through high school. Several more MNPS schools run optional or academy programs that are not full magnets.
No. Magnet schools are Metro Nashville public schools and charge no tuition.
No. A magnet seat is never guaranteed. The only school guaranteed to have a seat for your child is your zoned school, which is set by your home address. Magnets admit by application and lottery, so families usually apply to a magnet and keep their zoned school as the fallback.
The MNPS School Options application window opens in January. For the 2026-27 cycle it opened January 20, 2026 and closed February 13, 2026, with results on March 2. The 2027-28 dates had not been published by MNPS as of November 10, 2026 — check the Key Dates page, which is updated the day they are announced.
It varies by school and by where you live. Each school's page in this guide shows whether bus service is listed. Confirm with the school before you apply, because transportation can decide whether a seat is usable.