Only The Best: Top Art High Schools in the US

Masterworks
March 22, 2022

When it comes to honing your creative skills and expanding your knowledge in arts and design, art education is not something many stray away from. We compiled a list of some of the best art and design high schools in the nation based on retention and graduation rate.

The Episcopal School of Los Angeles

The Episcopal School of Los Angeles has been rated as one of the Best Art High Schools in the nation. This prestigious institution reportedly offers a great deal to the student body, including top-notch teaching, exceptional facilities, and supportive staff.

Founded in 2012, ESLA is an independent, co-educational, college-preparatory day school established at the heart of old Hollywood. It offers students a unique educational experience and exposure to diverse but equal cultures.

Ranking at number 10 for Best High Schools for Arts in California, and 28 Best High Schools for the Arts in America, tuition at ESLA costs around $35,000 a year.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esla.school/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/esla_school

Alcuin School

Alcuin is one of the most prominent and most sought-after art schools in the nation. In Dallas, Texas, an independent, non-sectarian, coeducational day school, Alcuin started in 1964, making it one of the oldest and largest Montessori schools in North America.

More than 100 students enrolled in its fine arts and design programs. The fine arts department offers a program that combines the traditional liberal arts with art history. It is an IB World School with a yearly tuition of around $32,000.

Alcuin ranks 3 for Best High Schools for the Arts in Texas and 31 for Best High Schools for the Arts in America.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alcuinschool/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlcuinSchool

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School

The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts is a performing arts high school in New York City founded in 2001 by singer and painter Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto. A highly rated public school named after the American musician and actor Frank Sinatra is commonly known as FSSA.

The school offers high school diplomas in six arts majors, including fine art, dance, vocal and instrumental music, drama, and film. Each studio has its teachers, classrooms, and exhibitions where students may show their arts to the public. 

In FFSA, all students are required to audition for admission. Students can also audition for Musical Theater as an elective class. They can also apply for the Stage Craft class, which focuses on theater productions and technical theater.

FSSA ranks 7th in Best High Schools for the Arts in New York and ranks 33 for Best High Schools in America.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/franksinatraschoolofthearts/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fssanews

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts

An audition-based and tuition-free public charter school, the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, was founded in 2003 in Pennsylvania.

The school offers a broad range of art classes, such as dance, theater, instrumental music, vocal music, visual art, literary arts, or production art. 

It also provides students the opportunity to develop their artistic skills under the guidance of dedicated educators. The school’s goals are to provide students with the opportunity to develop their talents, learn basic art concepts, and become inspired creators and thinkers.

LVCA is the top 2 Best High Schools for the Arts in Pennsylvania and the top 36 Best High Schools for America.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charterarts/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/charterarts

Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts

Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (RASOTA) is one of the country’s most respected art high schools. Founded by Ruth Asawa in 1984, SFSA is located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and was the first art high school in the United States.

The school offers visual and performing art classes daily in addition to a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Students audition for placement in one department only. Auditioning students are admitted based on audition results; no academic criteria are used. 

A highly rated, public, magnet, alternative school, RASOTA ranks number 12 for Best High Schools for the Arts in California and 37 for Best High Schools for the Arts in America.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthasawasota/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ruth_Asawa_SOTA

 
 
 
 
 
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Professional Performing Arts High School

The art school was created in 1990 to meet the needs of two groups of students.–those who wanted to pursue professional work in the arts and those who wanted to study the arts as a vocation. 

The New York school is a unique, professional, and specialized school providing students with the skills to excel in their chosen career fields for more than a decade. It is not your average high school, yet it is not your average art school. Instead, we are an arts academy committed to the highest standards of excellence for all of our students.

PPAS ranks nine at the Best High Schools for the Arts in New York and number 35 Best High Schools for the Arts in America.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppasnyc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ppasnyc

Philip J. Weaver Education Center

Philip J. Weaver Education Center is a top-rated public magnet school located in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Founded in 2003, Philip J. Weaver Art Education Center showcases two extraordinary educational programs–performing and visual arts and advanced technology. It is also one of the first art schools to have a full-time Dance Program. Its Dance Program is nationally known for its excellence in dance.

The school ranks number one on the Best High Schools for the Arts in North Carolina.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weaveracademy/

Sequoyah School

A non-profit, co-educational, and independent K-12 school in Pasadena, California, the Sequoyah School is home to some of the top art students in the nation. It has been honored with a US Department of Education Artist Initiative grant.

Founded in 1958, the school has also been recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children as one of the nation’s top art schools and has received national attention for the work of its annual visual arts festival.

It ranks 11 for the Best High Schools for the Arts in California and 29 for the Best High Schools in America. Studying at Sequoyah costs around $35,000 a year.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sequoyahschool/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SequoyahSchool


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