If you ask California School of the Arts ー San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV) students, parents, faculty, and staff about why students should attend the school, you are bound to get a never-ending list of answers. In order to help prospective parents understand why they would want to choose CSArts-SGV for their student, we have boiled down all of those responses to a solid summary of the top-five reasons that this school is unlike any other.
The transformative, award-winning cultural experience
Our school community is composed of students who are drawn by the common bond of having a passion for the arts. All students choose to be part of our special community. Together, we are intentional about our efforts to build the culture we desire through the use of our five cultural pillars: Welcome, Do No Harm, Choice Words, Never Too Late to Learn, and Best School in the Universe.
CSArts-SGV provides a creative, challenging, and nurturing environment with a rigorous college-preparatory education and pre-professional arts training. The school goes above and beyond to offer an innovative and unique culture where students are free to express themselves and are met with support and respect. This campus is filled with faculty and staff who consistently strive to develop this diverse group of students’ confidence and talents, which prepares them for a successful college experience and strong career. The students are equally as supportive of one another ー an important aspect of our culture that is often missing in high school – drawing from their common bond of having a passion for the arts. At CSArts-SGV we are fully committed to our students and to promoting life-long artistic and scholarly development.
Since its opening in 2017, CSArts-SGV has already received an impressive number of prestigious awards, including being named Top 10 National Best High Schools for the Arts by Niche, the California Exemplary Arts Education Award by the California Department of Education, and the New and Emerging School Award by Arts Schools Network.
The middle school program
This school maintains a unique partnership with Duarte Unified School District (DUSD) where middle school students are able to participate in academics through local schools within DUSD, and still receive their conservatory instruction from CSArts-SGV arts faculty. Through this unique collaboration, CSArts-SGV, DUSD, and the community come together to support art education. In addition to giving middle schoolers an inside look at what the high school experience will be, students in the middle school program experience six years of pre-professional training if they continue their high school education at CSArts-SGV. They are given access to exceptional art classes and opportunities that provide motivation and promote responsibility so that they are ready to step into CSArts-SGV’s challenging high school arts programs.
Pre-professional opportunities
Students at CSArts-SGV participate in comprehensive instructional conservatory programs led by renowned educators, industry professionals, and artists who bring their real-world experiences to the classroom. In addition, all conservatories host guest artists and master classes, workshops, lectures, performances, and events. Students in every conservatory have opportunities throughout the year to share what they have learned, their talents and creative artistry by showcasing their work in plays, musicals, concerts, exhibitions, and more. Students also have the opportunity to join performance groups that visit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and more through Bring CSArts-SGV to You!
College readiness
With the belief that creative artistry and intellectual curiosity work hand-in-hand, CSArts-SGV prides itself on having an academic program that is just as rigorous as its arts program. The school provides challenging college-preparatory academics that align with the California Common Core State Standards in order to produce high-achieving and motivated scholars. CSArts-SGV curriculum includes honors and Advanced Placement classes, small student-to-teacher ratios, and a fully credentialed faculty. The school also provides one-on-one comprehensive college and academic advising to ensure that students reach their goals. Each year, CSArts-SGV goes above and beyond by offering a College Fair, where students can explore their options for furthering their education after high school. The College Fair brings representatives from universities, colleges, and conservatories to the CSArts-SGV campus to provide students with information about their programs, tips for creating and presenting portfolios, mock auditions and interviews, and more.
College partnerships
An additional academic benefit students receive when attending CSArts-SGV is the opportunity to earn college credit from a local community college. Citrus College, known for its legacy of excellence in arts education, has built a distinguished partnership with CSArts-SGV that has paved the way for participation in its Early College Program — a dual enrollment program in which students are able to take up to two years of transferable college courses. This program comes at absolutely no cost to students enrolled at CSArts-SGV, saving them thousands on their first college credits and giving them a valuable glimpse into college expectations and standards. Citrus College is currently working to develop pathway programs that would allow CSArts-SGV students to transfer into the California State University system with an Associate Degree for Transfer, which would guarantee junior level transfer status.
A new and exciting partnership with Whittier College – a four-year liberal arts college recently featured in Princeton Review’s The Best 388 College’s list – helps students continue their arts education after leaving CSArts-SGV. Through this partnership, students at CSArts-SGV who fulfill all of their A-G requirements and maintain a 3.0 GPA are automatically accepted into Whittier College and receive the Future Poet’s Scholarship, a scholarship that can be renewed through all four years.
If you’re looking for your student to be surrounded by creative and innovative people, to be able to express who they are, to find genuine success within their passions, and to flourish as an artist, scholar and, as a person, then you’ve found the perfect school.
To learn more about the school and even more reasons why you should consider CSArts-SGV, register to attend a free, in-person, on-campus Preview Day at sgv.csarts.net/PreviewDay.