Posted by Choosing one of the best performing arts high schools in the world is an important step to take because not all regular high schools have what it takes to nurture the skills of young artists.
The schools listed in this article are known for their specialized programs that combine college-preparatory academic instruction and conservatory-style training in the visual and performing arts.
In the next section, we will be explaining what Performing Arts is.
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What are Performing Arts?
Performing arts is a broad term that encompasses various forms of creative activity that are performed in front of an audience. These include but are not limited to, drama, music, and dance.
People who perform in front of an audience are called performers. They can be comedians, dancers, magicians, musicians, actors, and more. Performing arts can be divided into three main categories: theatre, dance, and music.
Theatre is a form of performing art that involves live performances by actors on stage. It includes plays, musicals, opera, ballet, mime, and other forms of drama.
Dance is another form of performing art that involves rhythmic movement of the body in response to music. It can be performed solo or in groups and can be classified into various styles such as classical, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and more.
Criteria for Selecting the Best Performing Arts High Schools in the World
Selecting the best-performing arts high schools demands a meticulous examination of various facets that contribute to a holistic and enriching educational experience.
- Facilities and Resources: Assessment of the quality and accessibility of facilities such as theaters, studios, practice rooms, and equipment.
- Student Achievements
- Global Recognition: Assessment of the school’s reputation on a global scale.
- Industry Partnerships: Assessment of collaborations with industry professionals, arts organizations, and cultural institutions.
List of the Best Performing Arts High Schools in the World
Below is a list of the best performing Arts High Schools in the World:
- Los Angeles County High Schools for the Arts (LACHSA)
- Juilliard School
- Interlochen Arts Academy
- King University
- Burlington Royal Arts Academy (BRAA)
- Besant Hill School
- Walnut Hill School for the Arts
- Alabama School of Fine Arts
- Idyllwild Arts Academy
- The Master’s School
- Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA)
- St. Johnsbury Academy
- San Domenico School
- The Chicago Academy for the Arts
- Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts
- The Cambridge School of Weston
- Rosedale Heights School of the Arts (RHSA)
- New World School of the Arts
- Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA)
- The Brit School
- Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd)
- The Hammond School
- Sylvia Young Theatre School (SYTS)
- Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
- UK Theatre School.
25 Best Performing Arts High Schools in the World
1. Los Angeles County High Schools for the Arts (LACHSA)
- Founded: 1985
- Location: Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles County High Schools for the Arts (LACHSA) is a public institution that provides specialized instruction and training in dance, music, theater, visual arts, and cinematic arts.
It is one of the two Los Angeles arts high schools that accept students from any district in the county of Los Angeles. Charter High School of the Arts in Van Nuys is the other school. LACHSA has no tuition fee and is run by the Los Angeles County Office of Education.
The school has an aesthetically pleasing campus and shares premises with Cal State LA. The program’s area of expertise is training students for professions in the arts.
The school comprises five divisions: dance, theater, visual arts, music (vocals and instruments), and cinematic arts (Film). Additionally, a double major in musical theater is available.
2. Juilliard School
- Founded: 1905
- Location: The Juilliard School is located at 60 Lincoln Center Plz, New York, NY, 10023
Juilliard School is a private institution that was established in 1905. It is located in an urban area and has 602 undergraduate students enrolled in total as of autumn 2021.
The academic calendar is based on semesters, and the total cost of the program is $52,500. Juilliard School offers pre-professional instruction in music, dance, and theater with a sole concentration on the arts.
Although the application procedure differs according to the academic area, Juilliard frequently requires applicants to audition. Class standing and high school GPAs are not prerequisites for admission. All Juilliard students take liberal arts courses in addition to major-specific classes once they arrive.
3. Interlochen Arts Academy
- Founded: 1962
- Location: Interlochen, Michigan
Interlochen Arts Academy is a renowned private art school located in Michigan, USA. It has produced over 500 talented artists from 44 different U.S. states and over 29 other countries.
The school offers classes in creative writing, music, dance, theater, comparative arts, and visual arts.
Students with a strong interest in performing arts can apply to be one of their pupils. The school has a rigorous educational program that equips pupils to succeed in college and the performing arts.
Students can access skilled artist-educators while spending four hours each day honing their creative skills. Some of its pupils have performed in high-profile films, published poetry, and danced for well-known groups. The school also has famous artwork in its galleries and television studios.
4. King University
- Founded: 1867
- Location: Bristol, Tennessee
King University’s Theatre in Bristol, Tennessee is one of the top universities for performing arts in the US. The School of Music and Performing Arts at King University offers a wide range of topics such as acting, designing, directing, constructing, and writing.
King University also provides several fascinating programs for motivated students, including the opportunity to study abroad and attend national theatrical conferences.
The institution offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre. King University’s acting program is the most esteemed in the Tri-Cities, Tennessee region.
The university is considered the best option available in East Tennessee due to its excellent faculty, accessible counselors, rapid access to financial assistance, and rigorous academic standards.
5. Burlington Royal Arts Academy (BRAA)
- Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Burlington Royal Arts Academy (BRAA) is a private secondary school located in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
The school provides a safe, supportive, and creative environment that focuses on the holistic development of its students, including their academic success, creative expression, and self-development.
The school offers art programs in dance, dramatic arts, media arts, instrumental music, vocal music, and visual arts, in addition to the provincial academic curriculum.
Students can pursue any of the Academy’s art programs in addition to taking academic courses. The admissions procedure includes either an audition or an interview.
6. Besant Hill School
- Founded: 1946
- Location: Ojai, California
Besant Hill School was founded in 1946 by a group of people including Annie Besant, Guido Ferrando, Louis Zalk, Robert Logan, J Krishnamurti, and Rosalind Rajagopal.
The school is located on a 520-acre property in the vacation community of Ojai, California. The school offers a well-rounded preparatory program for students who desire to explore their artistic expression. In addition to academics, the school offers both non-competitive and competitive athletics, as well as more than 20 art electives.
Besant Hill School’s High School for the Arts has over 88% of its students enrolled, and 38% of them are eligible for financial aid. The school has been recognized as one of the best-performing arts high schools in the world.
The school’s performing arts department is dedicated to educating students of all levels in the art of theater, film, vocal and instrumental music, and musical theater.
7. Walnut Hill School for the Arts
- Founded: 1893
- Location: Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is an independent boarding and day high school located in Natick, Massachusetts.
It offers a comprehensive and avant-garde academic curriculum and world-class training in dance, music, theater, visual art, writing, film, and media arts.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is recognized as the premier school for the arts in the United States.
The school provides boarding services to both male and female students.
8. Alabama School of Fine Arts
- Founded: 1971
- Location: 1800 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Blvd, Birmingham, AL, 35203, United States
Alabama School of Fine Arts is a public, tuition-free, partially boarding, state magnet middle and high school located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
It is one of the top secondary schools for performing arts in the United States and is known for its rigorous academic curriculum and exceptional faculty.
The school offers coeducational boarding and evaluates applicants based on a variety of criteria, including interviews, applications, auditions, test scores, and more.
Alabama School of Fine Arts is the exclusive provider of specialty arts courses at reasonable prices.
9. Idyllwild Arts Academy
- Founded: 1946
- Location: Idyllwild, California
Idyllwild Arts Academy is a boarding school for the performing arts located in California, USA.
It has been ranked as the Best Private High School for the Arts in America by Niche.com for two consecutive years. The school offers a dual curriculum that includes pre-professional arts training and college preparation.
The campus is spread over 205 acres of pristine national forest, providing a serene and enchanting backdrop for creativity. The school was founded in 1986 and admits students in grades 9 through 12, with both male and female students taking advantage of the art program.
The school provides a diverse range of artistic environments that enable students to maximize their potential.
10. The Master’s School
- Founded: 1877
- Location: Dobbs Ferry, New York
The Master’s School is a well-established institution that offers a comprehensive curriculum for students preparing for college.
The school has a strong focus on the arts, with a diverse range of programs that have produced many well-known performers in dance, music, the visual arts, and other fields.
The school’s fine arts programs are particularly noteworthy, and they are known for their excellence in training students to become skilled artists.
The Master’s School has over 400 students enrolled in performing arts programs in grades 7 through 12. The school was established in 1877, and its community service program serves as its guiding philosophy.
The school offers both day and boarding options, and the expected fee can be found on the school’s website.
11. Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA)
- Founded: 1981
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) is a specialized public arts-academic high school located in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
It was founded on September 8, 1981, and has the distinction of being the oldest, free-standing, arts-focused high school in Canada.
Students at ESA major in Dance, Drama, Film, Music, Theatre, or Contemporary Arts, in addition to a demanding academic program.
The school is known for its rigorous and comprehensive arts program, which is integrated into the curriculum for all students. An element of the admissions process includes auditions, and there are distinct audition requirements for every major.
12. St. Johnsbury Academy
- Founded: 1842
- Location: St. Johnsbury, Vermont, United States
St. Johnsbury Academy is a private high school for the performing arts located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
It is one of the traditional performing arts institutions that combines the opportunities and resources of a sizable independent school with a large faculty of artists.
The academy offers over 200 courses, including 31 Advanced Placement courses, 40 courses in the fine and performing arts, college-level engineering, four languages, and an award-winning technical education department.
The school’s performing arts program is directed by faculty who are professionals in their fields. Students are inspired to tap into their creativity and imagination while learning the skills and techniques of the various disciplines.
The program includes acting, stagecraft, ballet, modern dance, popular dance, training for the athlete, band, jazz band, chorus, strings, guitar, music appreciation/theory, and AP Music.
13. San Domenico School
- Founded: 1850
- Located: Sleepy Hollow, San Anselmo
San Domenico School is the oldest independent school in California and is located on a 515-acre property.
It is a boarding school for the arts that offers both day and boarding programs to students in grades 9 through 12. More than 40% of the students live on campus.
San Domenico School is known for its extensive and innovative Visual and Performing Arts programs in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The school incorporates the arts into its strong college preparation curriculum, which helps students learn, study, maximize their potential, and find their calling as early as possible.
14. The Chicago Academy for the Arts
- Founded: 1981
- Location: Chicago, United States
The Chicago Academy for the Arts is a prestigious independent high school that specializes in the performing and visual arts.
The Academy offers a unique co-curricular program that combines rigorous, college-preparatory academic classes with professional-level arts training.
Students at the Academy develop critical thinking, creative expression, and academic success skills.
The Academy’s school day consists of a modified block schedule of three 75-minute blocks of academic courses and a 45-minute flex period followed by a three-plus hour immersion in a student’s chosen arts department: Dance, Media Arts (filmmaking, animation, creative writing), Music, Musical Theatre, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
15. Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts
- Founded: 1965
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts is a public high school that provides artistic education to students in grades 9 through 12. It is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The school offers professional-level training in Visual and Media Arts and Performing Arts, along with a strong academic, athletic, and technological program for all its students.
Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts is designated to deliver visual arts and performing arts at a professional level, and it provides a strong academic, athletic, and technological program for all its students.
The school offers three art programs: Visual and media Arts, Performing Arts, and Arts & Culture Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM).
16. The Cambridge School of Weston
- Founded: 1886
- Location: Weston, Massachusetts, United States
The Cambridge School of Weston is a private boarding high school for the performing arts located in Weston, Massachusetts, USA.
It was founded in 1886 and has been at the forefront of educational innovation ever since. The school adopts John Dewey’s student-centered philosophy, which supports active and experiential learning.
The curriculum is designed to consider each student’s preferences, helping them develop and hone the abilities needed to function effectively in society.
The school offers specialized classes in theatre, visual arts, music, and dance. It has one of the best music departments among boarding schools.
17. Rosedale Heights School of the Arts (RHSA)
- Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Rosedale Heights School of the Arts (RHSA) is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that focuses on the creative arts.
The school offers a comprehensive program that allows students to excel in academics, sports, and the arts. RHSA believes that everyone should have access to the arts, regardless of their artistic abilities.
As a result, no auditions are required for admission, making Rosedale the only arts school in the Toronto District School Board.
RHSA encourages students to explore multidisciplinary arts in the neighborhood to help them discover their interests instead of expecting them to choose majors.
The school’s focus on the performing and visual arts prepares students for university or college through rigorous academic programs.
18. New World School of the Arts
- Founded: 1987
- Location: Downtown Miami, Florida, United States
New World School of the Arts (NWSA) is a public magnet high school and college that offers both academic rigor and creative training in visual arts, dance, theater, and music.
NWSA provides dual enrollment programs in these disciplines, allowing students to earn college credits while still in high school. NWSA admits students from ninth grade in high school through a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Music College degree.
Admission to NWSA is determined by either a preference audition or a portfolio evaluation, and the school’s admissions criteria are exclusively based on creative ability.
NWSA is also a Florida Center of Excellence in the Visual and Performing Arts and has received numerous recognitions and awards, including a Magnet School of America School of Excellence Award in 2023 and several Merit Awards spanning more than a decade.
19. Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA)
- Founded: 1892
- Location: Dallas, Texas, United States.
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA) is a public secondary school located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States.
The school is also known as Arts Magnet and is the Dallas Independent School District’s arts magnet school.
It has been recognized as one of the top 8 magnet schools in the country by the Department of Education and one of the top 5 schools in the nation by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
20. The British School
- Founded: 1991
- Location: Selhurst, Croydon, England
The Brit School is a leading performing arts and creative arts school in the UK that offers a full academic program of GCSEs and A levels, along with instruction in music, film, digital design, community arts, visual arts and design, production, and performing arts.
The school is open to everyone between the ages of 14 and 19. Students may enroll in the school at age 14, after completing Key Stage 3, or at age 16, after finishing GCSEs.
Performing arts high schools are an excellent option for students who have an interest in dance, music, and theatre.
These schools offer specialized programs that combine training in performing arts with rigorous academic courses. They are the best option for students who want to nurture their art skills in a supportive environment.
Before enrolling in a performing arts high school, students need to be sure they have artistic talents. This is because most performing arts high schools audition prospective students before they give out admission.
21. Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd)
- Founded: 1939
- Location: Chiswick, London Borough of Hounslow
Arts Educational Schools (ArtsEd) is an independent performing arts school located in Chiswick, London Borough of Hounslow, UK.
It was founded in 1939 as a result of a merger between the Cone School of Dancing and the Ripman School, both of which offered curricula combining general academic education with training in the arts, in preparation for professional careers connected with the theatre.
Today, ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further, and higher education levels in musical theatre and acting for film and television.
The school blends a rigorous academic curriculum with professional training in dance, drama, and music.
ArtsEd is one of twenty-one specialist performing arts schools approved to offer government-funded Dance and Drama Awards, a scheme established to subsidize the cost of professional dance and drama training for the most talented students at leading institutions.
22. The Hammond School
- Founded: 1917
- Located: Chester, England
The Hammond School is a performing arts institution that provides full-time training in the performing arts for students enrolled in K–12, collegiate, and degree programs.
The school is located in Chester, England, and offers courses for students from year 7 through graduate-level standing.
The school is recognized as a national center of excellence for dance training and is a member of the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS), which provides funded places for talented dancers aged eleven to sixteen.
The school offers a range of courses in dance, drama, and music, including a degree program in musical theater. The school also offers academic programs in addition to its performing arts instruction.
23. Sylvia Young Theatre School (SYTS)
- Founded: 1983
- Location: London, England
Sylvia Young Theatre School (SYTS) is a renowned independent performing arts school located in the Marylebone area of London, England.
It was founded in 1972 by Sylvia Young, OBE, and offers top-notch academic and career training to students who are passionate about performing arts.
SYTS provides two alternatives for training: full-time school and part-time classes. The full-time school is available for students between the ages of 10 and 16, and students attend school full-time after completing the audition process.
The part-time classes are dedicated to offering excellent instruction for students between the ages of 4 and 18. Classes are held on Thursday evenings and Saturdays at the school’s Central London location.
24. Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
- Founded: 1939
- Location: Tring, Hertfordshire, England
Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is a day and boarding school that offers a top-notch education to students aged 7 to 19. The school is located in Tring, Hertfordshire, England.
Tring Park School provides its students with rigorous instruction in the performing arts, including dance, commercial music, music theatre, and acting, in addition to a strong academic curriculum.
The school has a long-standing reputation for producing talented performers who have gone on to achieve success in the entertainment industry.
25. UK Theatre School
- Founded: 2001
- Location: Glasgow, Glasgow City, United Kingdom
UK Theatre School is a self-governing performing arts academy that offers a comprehensive and structured syllabus for students.
The school provides a range of programs that cater to different ages, abilities, and interests. Before admission, students are required to audition, which can either be an open or private audition.
UK Theatre School SCIO offers full scholarships, part-scholarships, bursaries, and donations to students who qualify.
UK Theatre School is located in Glasgow, Scotland, and has been recognized as one of the leading independent performing arts academies in the UK.
The school has won several awards and has an exceptional training ground for young talent.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Best Performing Arts High Schools in the World
What defines a performing arts high school?
Performing arts high schools are educational institutions that specialize in providing intensive training and education in disciplines such as music, dance, theater, and visual arts. These schools offer a curriculum that integrates academic subjects with a strong focus on the performing arts, nurturing students' talents and preparing them for careers in the artistic realm.
Can students at these schools pursue a well-rounded education alongside their artistic training?
Yes, performing arts high schools typically offer a well-rounded education that includes academic subjects alongside intensive training in the arts. The goal is to provide students with a comprehensive foundation, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for both artistic and academic pursuits.
Do these schools prepare students for careers in the performing arts industry?
Absolutely. One of the primary goals of performing arts high schools is to prepare students for successful careers in the performing arts industry.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are a young artist looking to nurture your art skills in a high-quality school that will get the best out of your amazing talents or art skills, then you should consider enrolling in one of these top-performing arts high schools.
These schools provide students with the opportunity to learn performing arts along with academic courses, which is a great way to improve your skills and prepare for a career in the arts.