Iowa Conservatory (ICON): a Co-Ed Private Boarding and Day Performing Arts school serving grades 9-12 and postgraduate gap year program located in the heart of downtown Iowa City. Do you desire a high school experience that centers your day on the arts? Do you want pre-professional training? Become an ICON.
Quick Stats (2024)
- Grades: (Boarding) 9-12, PG
- Enrollment: 50 students
- Yearly Tuition (Boarding Students): $41,000
- Yearly Tuition (Day Students): $35,000
- Acceptance rate: 90%
- Average class size: 12 students
- Application Deadline: Jan. 15 / rolling
- Source: Verified school update
School News
- Iowa Conservatory on KCRG - 11/08/2023ICON is state's first private performing arts high school!
- ICON on Everyday Iowa - 10/09/2023Anyone can learn to perform!
- Iowa Conservatory on Podcast - 08/16/2023ICON focuses on arts and preparing students for 21st century professions.
- Iowa's ONLY Performing Arts Boarding School - 07/11/2023New Performing Arts Boarding School Opens in Iowa.
- ICON, Superstar Boarding School - 07/10/2023ICON attracts superstar faculty and students to Iowa City!
Top Rankings
Iowa Conservatory ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 290 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Community Size
School Overview
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
Year Founded
2023
1906
Student Body
Enrollment
50 students
314 students
% Students of Color
3%
25%
% International Students
2%
20%
% Students Boarding
25%
70%
Offers Post-Grad Year
Yes
No
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
No
No
Student : Teacher Ratio
6:1
7:1
# of AP / Advanced Courses Offered
15
17
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
75%
71%
Summer Program Details
Tuition Cost
Yearly Tuition
(Boarding Students)
(Boarding Students)
$41,000
$64,460
Yearly Tuition
(Day Students)
(Day Students)
$35,000
$35,600
Summer Program Cost
$1,155
% Students on Financial Aid
50%
40%
Acceptance Rate
Application Deadline
Jan. 15 / rolling
Jan. 15
SSAT Required
Yes
Yes
Acceptance Rate
90%
60%
Director of Admissions
Dr. Jessica Frerich
Sports
School Notes
-
Iowa Conservatory (ICON) is located in a historic, tight-knit neighborhood community with renovated spaces in an expansive and newly renovated 18,000 square foot space housed within the charming Brewery Square building. Our space includes professionally designed dance, music, theatre, and visual arts studios, along with practice rooms, a costume lab, student commons, and academic classrooms. Just down the street is our very own James Theater, a performance space that readily transforms from black box to recital stage to theatre lab. ICON's partnerships throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area allow students to work in various performance settings, learning from professionals in all aspects of performing and visual arts. Student-artists can work on stage or behind the scenes at multiple venues in the vibrant Iowa City arts scene. This includes the University of Iowa's Hancher Auditorium, Englert Theatre, and the professional acting company Riverside Theatre. We cultivate the skills our students need to compete in the top 10% of artists entering college and/or other post-secondary artistic pursuits, opening doors to scholarship and professional opportunities. Network-building workshops, masterclasses, and seminars with special guest teachers and mentors from the industry broaden students' professional reach.
- Our arts program is offered for the academic school year on a trimester schedule and includes an academic course of study through the Iowa City Community School District's Online Program. 9th-12th grades (+Gap Year) students attend classes Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- ICON offers summer intensives with boarding availability.
- At Iowa Conservatory, we cultivate A Culture of Caring, designed to educate and care for the whole student. ICON has apartment-style co-op living within three blocks of the school. Each apartment houses 3-4 students, with a residential assistant overseeing no more than 10 students in each living space.
- Boarding students are supported by full-time residential assistants and rich student life programming. Our Student Life Director and Dean of Students oversee every aspect of student life, including opportunities to interact with the local arts community, social events for the student body, skill-building for successful independent living, and social-emotional learning. Our Student Life Team includes live-in residential assistants, school counselors, and learning coaches, all trained to respond to the unique needs of adolescent learners in a boarding school setting.
- ICON students bring lunch to campus from home. All boarding students are supported by residential assistants in successful at-home cooking of healthy meals. Our neighborhood is peppered with a wide variety of affordable restaurants to choose from when boarding students are not cooking with their live-in chaperone and suite-mates after the school day is over.
- In addition to our on-campus nurse practitioner, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics offer top-notch and quickly accessible care in their clinics for any arising student health needs.
- Iowa Conservatory accreditations: Arts Schools Network Member, currently finishing ISACS certification
Source: Verified school update
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Iowa Conservatory cost?
Iowa Conservatory's tuition is approximately $41,000 for boarding students and $35,000 for day students.
What is the acceptance rate of Iowa Conservatory?
The acceptance rate of Iowa Conservatory is 90%, which is higher than the boarding school average of 60%.
What sports does Iowa Conservatory offer?
Iowa Conservatory offers 2 interscholastic sports: Ballet and Dance.
Does Iowa Conservatory offer a summer program?
Yes, Iowa Conservatory offers a summer program. Visit their summer school page for more information.
What is Iowa Conservatory's ranking?
Iowa Conservatory ranks among the top 20 boarding schools for Small student body (number of students).
When is the application deadline for Iowa Conservatory?
The application deadline for Iowa Conservatory is Jan. 15 / rolling (applications are due on Jan. 15 but additional applications are reviewed year-round as space permits ).
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