I am a parent of a student entering 6th Grade at Arizona School for the Arts. I work in Education and I talk to Teachers, Curriculum Directors, and Principals from all over the West Coast. And,I am married to a former teacher at ASA. I am passionate about this school. I will admit, I was suspect. I thought the parents who were so ecstic over the education offered at ASA might be a little off. It couldn't be that good. Really? My son started school with all the aprehensions of a 5th Grade student who knew very little about music, was active in sports and was very sad about leaving his friends behind. We (even he) chose this school because they had a strong emphasis on education and we expected the school to offer my son the opportunity to learn in an environment that was strict, supportive and creative. We were not disappointed. ASA was all that - and MORE! The academic teachers are inventive, collaborative, and very supportive. The arts teachers are music professionals and perform with and for the students and move them along in the curriculum with such finesse it's like they have private music lessons every day. And, the year was a success. My son was delighted with all his classes, especially his music classes with Monica Sauer Anthony. What a surprise to find him begging us to play his clarinet every evening before we had dinner or before we participted in a famly event. He loved the Science Curriculum, the hands-on activity and his teacher's passion for education. He worked hard in Language Arts and Social Studies and really showed off his new found maturity and knowledge during Presentation Week. And the lessons he learned in Life Skills class were really applicable and life changing. Then the performances at the end of the year were very remarkable and telling. I saw kids excelling in their musical expertise and showing off this success with such poise and confidence that I couldn't believe these were the same kids I met just 10 months prior at our summer welcome parties. The school does have a rigorous application process that leaves you on edge just wondering if your son or daughter will be permitted entry into this prestigious, blue ribbon school. The school doesn't tolerate any bullying and supports all types of students. And, the school is near Downtown Phoenix, so there are issues with the campus being spread across some streets, but those are being addressed quickly as they are building and expanding into new facilities that will offer a number of benefits for the ever-growing school. This school is really a dream. It's an educational opportunity I would recommend to any parent. I think my son would write a similiar recommendation! read more

I have had 6 kids there over the years and the school has really gone downhill recently. Leadership cannot keep things straight, then invent new policies and apply them here and there but no constancy and a huge lack of communication. The students are the ones losing out due to them shifting to be a very punitive type of campus. They have taken retaliatory actions against my children for me pointing out their hypocrisy and sadly the kids are only there because they want to be there whereases before I loved and supported the school and wanted them there, now i dont but they want to be there, so im trying to put up with it but many parents i talk to are disappointed with them as well, and new parents should be warned. They cut dozens of good teachers due to loss of students, but they seem to want to push more out!!! read more

The bullying was out of hand here. If you are not a large contributor to the school, your child is treated poorly. We witnessed this with several kiddos. read more

I currently go to this school as a student and i think this school is amazing with its mixture of academics and arts program. the teachers are amazing and the community is awesome. read more

I am a student at ASA. This is a good school, but the school administration is very rude and unhelpful. The lunch food is terrible, and the amount of bullying and gossip is ridiculous. If you ask the staff for help with your bullying then they won't do anything. There are always lock downs and fires and the security is terrible. All someone has to do to break in is smile and ask a student to open the gate. We also never. Have. Any. Drills! When a lock down happens everyone panics and no one knows what to do. And don't even get me started on 3QP... Yeah, the huge presentation in the 3rd quarter that we get no information on and is super stressful and could cost you the entire grade. read more

I am a current student at this school and so far, and I've discovered a lot about myself, but i often feel very lonely, people put bullying on a whole new level and people hurt each other and poison our whole community and this is when everyone starts hating everything and everyone and start swearing and being gross and inappropriate, it hurt my heart that student forget about others. read more

I've heard great things about this school and thought I'd apply for my creative, gifted 6th grader. Admission is by lottery, we were told. We hustled to get through the application hoops by deadline, filing records of attendance, grades, AIMS, writing samples-- the student even took a placement test and auditioned on his instrument. That seemed a bit above and beyond for a lottery. Why don't they test the kids who are accepted, not every kid who want to apply? (Well they must have their reasoning.) When our application was reviewed for completeness, we were told the lotter happened later that night but it takes some time to get the results--a week, maybe two. We'd be notified by email, they said. That was in January. I checked the website after a week. Again after another week. Nothing. Waited some more and found I was able to get my child's lottery number by entering his last name and last four of his social. But then got this message: "Please understand we are working to get applications processed as soon as possible and cannot give individual information at this time." Today is March 18 and that same message is on the site. I avoided emailing or calling--not wanting to be THAT parent. So here we are at Spring break a not only do we not know whether he has been accepted, we have not received an acknowledgement of his application, nor an explanation for the delay, nor a hint of what to expect. Maybe they cancelled school next year? Do they figure parents will call anyway even though we were told we'd be notified by mail? What kind of application process is this? How hard can it be to pick numbers from a hat? Are they really picking numbers or picking favorites? I have serious doubts about a school that takes two months to run a "lottery" and still can't communicate the "winners" to the applicants who provided plenty of contact information. ASA may have excellent teachers, but the application process has me doubtful and annoyed. read more

An Arizona elite institution. High academic and artistic standards. Quite challenging for students. Teachers are unusually highly communicative. read more

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Review of the high school only: Much less cliquey than other high schools - supportive environment for everyone, no matter your look, sexual orientation, etc. However, that's where the praise ends. This school has a laundry list of serious issues. - Overall, the curriculum is not as challenging as it's purported it to be. - The administration doesn't do anything about teacher misconduct. - Students are encouraged to advocate for themselves and communicate to leadership when there are issues, but rarely does anything happen as a result of their efforts to do so. - Letters to administration go unanswered. - Teacher pay is woeful, so turnover is constant. - The theater department plays favorites and ignores over half the students, giving them no opportunities to be on stage and explore their talents. - There is no physical education if you aren't a dance major. - Grading is at times inequitable and the dispute/appeal process is a joke. - College preparation/counseling services are abysmal. - Non-stop pressure on parents to donate on top of all the fees they already pay. - Terrible downtown neighborhood - not safe. - Students forced to leave campus after 3 PM unless parents pay for an additional class. - Not enough parking. - Students are forced to hold events outside in 115 degrees because of lack of indoor space. The ONLY reason to enroll in this high school is if your child is a dedicated ballet dancer or musician, or has had a difficult time socially in other high school environments. If this is not your situation, RUN, do not walk, away from ASA. read more

Just like all schools there are great and not so great aspects to the school but the important part is they are constantly striving to be the best school they can be. I had two kids attend middle school and one graduate. It is hands down the best place you can put your middle schooler. The high school was great for my child but is truly challenging academically and is a difficult transition for kids who did not go to middle school there. Bottom line it was one of the best decisions we made as parents. read more

I was a student here starting 6th grade till I transferred out after 8th grade. I'm going to review what I remember! This is a very small performing arts school. When I was there they had an average of about 400 students from 6-12th grade. Morning classes (7:45am - 12:15pm) are normal academics. Performing arts are in the afternoon till 2-3pm depending on the classes. For middle school: Piano is a required class during the morning. Performing arts options are voice & an instrument (this includes strings I believe), OR ballet (offered off campus with transportation by the school). Guitar is available after 6th grade. Jazz band & percussion ensemble is available by audition only after 6th grade. Drama is more of an after school program & has a fee. For high school: Students choose 2-3 classes from music (instrument, voice or piano), OR drama, OR ballet. To get in there was a waiting list. Or was it first come first serve? Either way, be sure to put your kids name down or be there when they first open with all the necessary paper work. The slots are limited. Remember, the school is SMALL! I hear they are trying to remodel & expand. When I went there the school rented space from the church, but is in no way affiliated religiously. Other space was across the street. Yes, you cross the street back & forth to get from 1 class to the next. They even had the rule, "No hugging in the crosswalk." That says something about the students lol Concerts were held in Pilgrim Hall or the actual church. Pilgrim Hall is where lunch can be eaten or a band class is held in the afternoon. Other students eat in the courtyard. A lunch truck (roach coach) came so students could purchase a lunch if they didn't bring their own. This school had a high turn over of teachers. Every year about 25% of the faculty would either be fired or quit. That's actually a lot of teachers. This may not be the case anymore since the school officials have changed. There are teachers still teaching that I recognize from when I went there: - Leah Fregulia-Roberts (Head of School) used to be the pricipal - Brian Hawkins (11th & 12th Grade Math) - Kyle Kirkman (7th & 8th Grade Math) taught me - Diane Legge (5th Grade Piano) taught me piano when there was no 5th grade - Kristin Mailhiot (Vice-Principal) used to be a middle school science teacher Students who either go to this school during HS or graduate stay involved. I would know, I'm friends with a lot of them on Facebook. They stay arts oriented a lot of the time & still talk about things currently going on at ASA. So, why did I leave? There are a few reasons. - I wanted a big HS experience. - I wanted to go to school with more than 400 students. - I wanted life lessons. I didn't want to be sheltered. I wanted to see how the real world worked. - I wanted to go to a school where there was more than 2 guys to every 10 girls. And where those guys weren't gay. Nothing wrong with being gay. But I like boys, gay boys aren't interested in girls. See where I'm going with this? - I wanted to get away from the 5 hours of homework every night. I was constantly exhausted. I was 11, 12, & 13. I was still a kid. I missed my time to play... & sleep. - I wanted to get away from teachers who taught opinions instead of facts. Yes, this happened. Yes, I told him he was wrong for doing so. Yes, he hated me for it. - I hated playing an instrument. I didn't have time to practice after all that homework. I can't sing. Anything I was interested in wasn't available till a later year. Blah blah blah... I'm not creative. Honestly, I'm not. - I wanted more options. Different types of friends. Maybe to go to school with more than 95% white kids. What did I like? - I kept friends I made in middle school to this very day. - The teachers are smart & actually make friends with their students. - I usually loved the required summer reading choices. - I love how close the Burton Barr library is. Spent almost every day after school there. I knew people who worked there & am still friends with them. read more

This is my daughter's 2nd year at ASA. I appreciate the emails teachers send me regarding my daughter's progress or places that needs my attention. I especially appreciate the lecture videos teacher created and the free tutoring time at lunch. I am thankful my daughter study at ASA. read more