magnet school

American  

noun

1. a public school with special programs and instruction that are not available elsewhere in a school district and that are specially designed to draw students from throughout a district, especially to aid in desegregation.

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magnet school British  

noun

1. a school that provides a focus on one subject area throughout its curriculum in order to attract, often from an early age, pupils who wish to specialize in this subject

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Etymology

Origin of magnet school

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

But Kearney eventually came back to her magnet school, Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration, after community fundraising efforts and her secondary teaching certification in English paved the way for her return.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

The sandlot-like multipurpose field for SOCES, a public magnet school in the San Fernando Valley, is home to its football team.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2024

Twenty miles away in Gig Harbor, Pioneer Elementary, a science, technology, engineering, arts and math magnet school, also received the Green Ribbon award.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2023

Sherice Sargent, a Black mother, is not amused that her daughter Skye, who thrived at Carver Engineering and Science magnet school, was assigned by the lottery to a school with a different specialty: farming.

From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2023

Latimer is a magnet school, which means that kids from all over the city can come to it.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers