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Idyllwild Arts Academy

5.00 5 1 (1 review)
52500 Temecula Road P.O. Box 38
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Tel: 19514687223
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Idyllwild Arts Academy is home to 300 students from 27 countries and 26 US states, all devoted to intensive study of the arts. Located 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2 hours from San Diego, and 1 hour from Palm Springs, the Academy is an artistic crossroads for Southern California.
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Idyllwild Arts Academy is home to 300 students from 27 countries and 26 US states, all devoted to intensive study of the arts. Located 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2 hours from San Diego, and 1 hour from Palm Springs, the Academy is an artistic crossroads for Southern California.
The Music Department offers concentrations in Classical Music, Voice and Piano; Jazz Music, Voice and Piano; and Songwriting. Our curriculum combines performance opportunities with music academics and private lessons with some of the top musicians in Southern California.
Idyllwild Arts has five dormitories, each with their own unique culture. Students are housed two to a room, and most dorms feature en-suite bathrooms.
The Academy's Dance Department offers students training in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. Students spend many hours in the studio each day, honing their talent with American Ballet Theatre trained faculty.
InterArts offers students the chance to explore and combined multiple art forms or to focus in Fashion Design. Students present their work in two fully choreographed Fashion Shows each year.
The Visual Arts at Idyllwild Arts Academy encompasses many things. Our students ground their work in Drawing and Painting, but also explore Sculpture, Ceramics, Printmaking, Graphic Design and Photography.
Krone Library is home to countless resources and study spaces for IAA students as well as the College Counseling Office. Our College Counseling staff work with our students throughout their time at the Academy, helping them prepare for the next step in their artistic journey.
The Moving Pictures Department offers hands-on training in film for students interested in becoming screenwriters, cinematographers, sound designers, film editors, directors and countless other jobs. Just two hours from Hollywood, the possibilities are endless.
Creative Writers have the chance to study fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dramatic writing, and screenwriting in an intimate, workshop-driven department.
Theatre students can choose to focus in Acting, Musical Theatre or Theatre Design and Production while at Idyllwild Arts. With at least 9 performances a year, our students stay busy learning about all aspects of theatre and graduate with resumes that show skill in performance, costume design, lighting, sound, set construction, stage management and directing.
  • The Idyllwild Arts Academy is the country`s premier and internationally-acclaimed residential arts high school (9th-12th; PG) (September through May) which provides pre-professional training in the arts and a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum to a diverse student body of gifted young artists.
  • Idyllwild Arts Academy's 300 students hail from more than 27 countries and pursue artistic excellence in Music, Theatre, Dance, Visual Art, Creative Writing, Film & Digital Media, InterArts / Fashion Design.
  • Graduates of Idyllwild Arts Academy currently excel in every professional field of the arts including Broadway theatre, primetime television, classical and jazz music, motion pictures, graphic design, photography and more.

Alumni Reviews
  Review School

  • Review Description

  • Class of 2015
    5 Stars   12/3/2016
    Hiram College
    Idyllwild Arts Academy is truly a unique experience. There are just over 300 students, so your friends and even acquaintances really become like family. I personally really like the way that the schedule works. Being. . .

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Definition of Terms 
2016 School Data
 Idyllwild Arts Boarding School Avg.
School Focus Pre-prof. Arts / College-prep College Preparatory
Grades Offered 9-12, PG 9-12
School Type Co-ed Co-ed
Religious Affiliation Non-denominational Non-denominational
Year Founded 1986 1910
Campus Size 206 acres 110 acres

Student Body

Enrollment 308 students 298 students
% Students of Color
20%
20%
% International Students
51%
20%
% Students Boarding
95%
68%
Average SAT Score 1604 * National Avg. »View
Average ACT score 26 *National Avg. » View
Offers Post-Grad Year Yes No

Academics and Faculty

Saturday Classes Yes No
Frequency of Saturday Classes Less than once a month Weekly
Classroom Dress Code Casual Casual
Average Class Size 13 students 12
*National School Avg. » 20
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:5 1:7
# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered 19 16
ESL Courses Offered Yes Yes
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
60%
70%
Summer Program Offered Yes Yes

Finances

Endowment Size $3 million $16 million
Yearly Tuition
(Boarding Students)		 $61,600 $51,700
Yearly Tuition
(Day Students)		 $38,500 $28,500
% Students on Financial Aid
65%
35%
Merit Scholarships Offered Yes No

Admission

Application Deadline Jan. 15 / Apr. 1 / rolling Jan. 15
Accepts Standardized Application Yes No
SSAT Required No Yes
Acceptance Rate
65%
57%
Director of AdmissionsTara Sechrest
Associate Director of AdmissionsJara Ruiz-Anchia

Course Listings

List of Courses Offered Link to List of Courses

AP / Advanced Courses

# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered 19 16
CoursesAdvanced Honors Biology, Honors Acting Seminar (Theatre Majors), Honors American Literature, Honors Calculus, Honors Calculus II, Honors Chemistry, Honors Classics in Western Literature, Honors Counterpoint (Music Majors), Honors French, Honors Gov & Econ, Honors History of Western Civ, Honors Literature of Western Thought, Honors Physics, Honors Pre-Calculus, Honors Spanish, Honors Technical Theatre Seminar (Theatre Majors), Honors U.S. History

Extracurriculars

Total Extracurricular Organizations 7 23
ExtracurricularsHonor, Non-competetive, Peer, Pre-professional, Student, Tour, Various

College Matriculation

Year: 1999 - 2003 10 Most Popular College Choices  (# Enrolled)
Juilliard 16
USC 16
NYU (Tisch) 10
University of Michigan 10
San Francisco Art Institute 8
Curtis Institute 6
Rhode Island School of Design 6
Eastman 5
Emerson 3
Stanford 3
Link to Matriculation Data

School Notes

  • The Arts Academy is located 5300 feet up in the mountains above Palm Springs in the San Bernardino National Forest. We are 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2 hours from San Diego and 1 hour from Palm Springs.
  • Academic classes are held Monday-Friday mornings and arts classes are held from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Upon graduation our students are accepted to Juilliard, Curtis, Oberlin, Peabody, Johns Hopkins, USC, Stanford, Yale, UCLA, San Francisco Conservatory, Chicago Arts Institute, CalArts, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Michigan and NYU, just to name a few.
  • School accreditations: WASC, Western Boarding School Association (WBSA), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), NETWORK of Performing and Visual Art Schools, Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), Counci
  • Sample of notable school alumni/alumnae:
    • Shepard Fairy - Graphic Artist and Designer
    • Neal Beasley - Princess Grace Award Winner - Modern Dance, Trisha Brown Dance Company
    • Liang Wang - Principal Oboe - New York Philharmonic
    • Casey Abrams - American Idol 2011 Finalist
    • Trevor Hall - Recording Artist
    • Marin Ireland - Tony Award Nominated Actress
    • Elora Hardy - Sole Print Designer for Donna Karan
    • Cristy Candler - Broadway Musical Theater Actress
    • Vesselin Gelev - Associate Concertmaster - London Philharmonic
    • Bei Zhu - Co-Concertmistress - Hong Kong Philharmonic
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Quick Stats
  • Grades: (Boarding) 9-12, PG
  • Students: 308 students
  • Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $61,600
  • Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $38,500
  • Acceptance rate: 65%
  • Average class size: 13 students
  • Application Deadline: Jan. 15 / Apr. 1 / rolling
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