about
about
New Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA), based in Santa Fe, is the only four-year, statewide, public high school serving artist-scholars across New Mexico with a rigorous, award-winning pre-professional arts and academics program.
NMSA provides students in 9th through 12th grades with intensive, pre-professional instruction in five major arts disciplines, Creative Writing & Literature, Dance, Music (Vocal, Jazz or Instrumental), Theatre, and Visual Arts. Arts disciplines are taught daily by master teachers and professional artists in a 3-hour daily arts block that takes place after the academic day.
NMSA is open to all students in New Mexico who qualify through a blind, competitive audition and portfolio admissions process held every February. Students can audition in up to two of the five major departments. A panel of professional artists participate as part the selection team.
Named as one of the top 10 high schools in the state for 2018 by U.S. News and World Report, NMSA has been a recipient of one of the highest national honors in education, the national Blue Ribbon Award; has received an ‘A’ grade by the New Mexico Public Education Dept. every year since 2012; and has outperformed for the past five years on state standards assessments in reading, math and science. Learn more about our awards here.
NMSA provides a Sunday-Thursday Residential Program to students who live too far away for the daily commute.
NMSA’s ethnically and socioeconomically diverse student body hails from 39 communities/Pueblos and a majority of the school’s 250 students are minorities.
The school’s academic program is funded through state charter by the state of New Mexico; funding for the arts program is primarily dependent on private sector and foundation support. Learn more about how to support NMSA’s vibrant and growing community by clicking here.
Arts Mastery Training
NMSA offers professional arts instruction with the goal of student mastery in the fields of Dance, Music (jazz, vocal & instrumental), Theater, Visual Arts, and Creative Writing & Literature. Instructors are masters of their respective fields in the arts.
Rigorous Academics
Residential Program
Community Outreach
The school got its start in 2007, when a group of New Mexico parents and educators began to envision an in-state pre-professional arts high school that could serve the state’s creative youth. The idea seemed like a natural fit for a state so rich in arts culture, history and industry. It quickly gained momentum with the support of area artists, philanthropists and policy makers, who joined forces to develop a charter application that was approved by the Public Education Commission of New Mexico and signed into law under Senate Bill 34 by Governor Bill Richardson in 2008.
State legislation gives NMSA unique structure and policies to fulfill its mission to provide educational opportunity to New Mexico students who have demonstrated artistic abilities and potential. It enables admission by audition, based on a student’s passion, promise and aptitude, and provides state funding for academic programming, which is overseen by a Governing Council in accordance with the New Mexico Charter Schools Act. The NMSA Art Institute, the school’s nonprofit partner, with support from its Board of Trustees, funds the school’s residential and outreach program entirely and the arts program almost entirely through private contributions.
The school got its start in 2007, when a group of New Mexico parents and educators began to envision an in-state pre-professional arts high school that could serve the state’s creative youth. The idea seemed like a natural fit for a state so rich in arts culture, history and industry. It quickly gained momentum with the support of area artists, philanthropists and policy makers, who joined forces to develop a charter application that was approved by the Public Education Commission of New Mexico and signed into law under Senate Bill 34 by Governor Bill Richardson in 2008.
State legislation gives NMSA unique structure and policies to fulfill its mission to provide educational opportunity to New Mexico students who have demonstrated artistic abilities and potential. It enables admission by audition, based on a student’s passion, promise and aptitude, and provides state funding for academic programming, which is overseen by a Governing Council in accordance with the New Mexico Charter Schools Act. The NMSA Art Institute, the school’s nonprofit partner, with support from its Board of Trustees, funds the school’s residential and outreach program entirely and the arts program almost entirely through private contributions.
Points of Pride
New Mexico School for the Arts fosters a culture of respect to self, others, and the community at-large. We have created an education that supports the whole student: as an artist, a scholar, and a citizen. Our reach is statewide; students from across New Mexico are positively impacted by our programs.
%
Retention Rate
%
Graduation Rate
%
College Acceptance Rate
United States Dept of Education National Blue Ribbon School
In 2016, NMSA was designated by the United States Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School, one of the nation’s highest honors in education for its success in closing the achievement gap.
Designated as one of Edutopia's “Schools that Work”
NMSA has been recognized by Edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation), one of the leading voices for best-practices in education, as one of their “Schools that Work.”
Digital Promise “Case Study” School
NMSA is a Digital Promise “Case Study” School. Digital Promise is a national center created by the United States Congress to advance technologies that transform teaching and learning.
Top School on Niche
NMSA was recognized on Niche as the #1 in Best High School for the Arts in New Mexico and for having the Best Public High School Teachers in New Mexico.
Higher than average ACT Scores
NMSA’s average composite ACT score is 22.7, which is 18% higher than the state average and 9% higher than the national average.