"During my three years at Boston Arts Academy…I learned that art is the true expression of the human being. On behalf of the first graduating class of Boston Arts Academy, I want to express our thankfulness to everyone who has given meaning to our lives by exposing us to art." - Erika Cesar, Boston Arts Academy Class of 2000

"I see my students' commitment to learning everyday - I know they want to be in my classroom. They enjoy studying science, because of the way we, the teachers, connect it to the arts. Today, one of my students, an actor, responded to my explanation of the scientific method with a quotation from Shakespeare - it is amazing to see students making connections, feeling that excitement." --Sung-Joon Pai, Science Teacher

Students specialize in one of five arts subject areas: visual arts, theatre, dance, instrumental music, or vocal music. Each student spends at least 12 hours a week in arts class, often staying after school on Saturdays to rehearse for a performance. Students’ schedules also incorporate a full college preparatory course load, including humanities, mathematics, science, and a foreign language. Throughout the curriculum, a special emphasis is placed on developing writing skills. In their senior year, students embark on a unique capstone experience: writing a grant proposal to fund an independent community outreach arts project, giving something back for the extraordinary educational opportunities they enjoy at Boston Arts Academy.

Boston Arts Academy serves 400 students in grades 9 to 12. Boston Arts Academy’s talented group of students, who come from 15 different neighborhoods in Boston, reflect the diversity of the City: 47% are African American; 30% Caucasian; 18% Latino; and 2% Asian American. The Arts Academy student body is 60% female.

In addition to working with instructors from the Arts Academy and from the ProArts Consortium, students have the opportunity to work with a variety of professional artists—local, national, and international. In the past, the following artists were in residence and/or provided master classes at the Arts Academy: the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the American Ballet Theatre, George Faison, Wendy Kesselman, Yo Yo Ma, Shakespeare & Company, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Keith Lockhart, Tito Puente, Paul Tucker, Bill T. Jones, Royal National Shakespeare Company, Diane Walker, Peter Gould, and August Wilson. In addition, student benefit from strong relationships with local arts organizations such as Boston Symphony Orchestra, Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston Classical Orchestra, Handel & Haydn Society, the Gardner Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Chamber Music Society, Broadway in Boston, and FleetBoston Celebrity Series.