By now, we hope you have learned about the rigorous academic program, pre-professional arts conservatories, and unique school culture found only at California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV). You are ready to apply!

After becoming familiar with the school’s various conservatories through a CSArts-SGV Preview Day, prospective students are invited to fill out an application and participate in a Placement Activity to help them decide which conservatory is the best fit for them. CSArts-SGV admits all applicants on a space-available basis, except in the areas of dance and music. Should the number of applicants exceed the space available, a public, random drawing (“lottery”) will be conducted by conservatory, grade level, and when applicable, concentration, to determine which students are offered admission.

Before getting started, please make sure that you thoroughly understand the Admissions Guidelines and have gathered all of the necessary materials. You will complete your application online and should be prepared to upload all requested materials along with your application. 

Additional support is available for students, parents, or guardians who require translation in order to best understand our admissions processes, as well as for those who need technology assistance. Applicants who have received or are currently receiving special services are encouraged to request any necessary accommodations to support them during the admissions process. 

If you have questions, please read our Admissions FAQ. You may also contact our Admissions Office at admissions@sgv.csarts.net or 714.560.0900 ext. 5510.

Click here to read more about charter school admission rights. Click here to access the Charter School Complaint Notice and Form.

Conservatory Placement Activities provide applicants with an opportunity to demonstrate their art form. All CSArts-SGV conservatories require participation in a Placement Activity. Upon completion of the Conservatory Placement Activity, applicants will receive a scored rubric with helpful feedback and a proficiency level from our conservatory staff. 

CSArts-SGV admits all applicants on a space-available basis, except in the areas of dance and music. Conservatories in the School of Dance and School of Music do not have an entry level of instruction, thus applicants must meet a minimum proficiency level on their scored rubric in order to select the Ballet & Contemporary Dance Conservatory, Commercial Dance Conservatory, Instrumental Music Conservatory, Popular Music Conservatory, or Vocal Arts Conservatory for admission.

We encourage all applicants to participate in Placement Activities for two different conservatories, in order to best prepare themselves to select a conservatory that would be a good fit for them. We strongly recommend that all applicants who have selected one of the minimum proficiency conservatories listed above also participate in a Placement Activity for another conservatory with no minimum proficiency.

Applicants should carefully examine the specific Placement Activity Guidelines for each conservatory, as ALL aspects of the guidelines are required for an application to be considered complete. If the guidelines specify that materials are to be submitted digitally, those materials will need to be included when the application is submitted on or before February 5, 2023 for prospective students and December 9, 2022 for current students applying for a transfer of conservatories.

For in-person Placement Activities, applicants will be able to schedule their appointment dates and times. The window to schedule any in-person Conservatory Placement Activities will open on November 30, 2022. All in-person Placement Activities for the upcoming school year will be conducted in January and February 2023. Once a Placement Activity appointment is scheduled, there can be no changes to the scheduled date or time.

Upon completion of the Conservatory Placement Activity, applicants will receive a scored rubric with helpful feedback and a proficiency level from our conservatory staff. Applicants will only be able to select a conservatory for admission for which they have completed a Placement Activity. If an applicant does not meet the minimum proficiency in their Placement Activity for the Ballet & Contemporary Dance Conservatory, Commercial Dance Conservatory, Instrumental Music Conservatory, Popular Music Conservatory, or Vocal Arts Conservatory, they will need to select their alternate conservatory choice for admission. Applicants will not be able to change their conservatory selection after submission.

Should the number of applicants exceed the space available, a public, random drawing (“lottery”) will be conducted by conservatory, grade level, and when applicable, concentration, to determine which students are offered admission. Each applicant will be given one (1) entry for the admission lottery. Applicants may place their lottery entry into their desired conservatory's lottery pool for admission.

A public lottery will be conducted, in accordance with the admission preferences in CSArts-SGV’s approved charter petition, in order to determine admission in each conservatory. Once all available spaces are filled for a particular conservatory, Applicant Numbers will continue to be drawn and placed on a waitlist in the order drawn.

All applicants who participate in a Placement Activity will be notified of the results of the admission lottery via email by mid-March 2023.

*Applicants who miss this deadline will not be guaranteed inclusion in the admission lottery.

Opportunities to apply in late spring or summer are rare and only scheduled if there are fewer applicants than spaces available.