Orange County School of the Arts

Great school. My daughter is thriving. Excellent teachers and staff. Could use a gymnasium though but other then that top flight education!

Found out this public school is not free. It is a lottery school, but it's mandatory that you pay 5k to 6k a year for your child to attend this school. They call it donations, and it is a tax write-off.

I have two children who have attended this school the last few years. It's a great school with outstanding arts education and a super inclusive community. If your child is seriously committed to the arts, this is an outstanding program. However, if your child is an athlete in traditional sports, this school is not for you. The school is located in an undesirable part of town; however, the city of Santa Ana has done a ton to revitalize and clean up the area. Additionally, security does an excellent job keeping the kids safe. I highly recommend this school.

My daughter has been lucky to be here since 7th grade. She's been dancing and acting professionally since she was 6, but we applied to this school for the curriculum which has not disappointed. If you can get in, go to this school! It's got the nicest "you be you" attitude with no judgment. It really is a phenomenal school for the arts as well as for higher education. Lots more I could say so feel free to reach out if you get in. Again, the academics are the best in CA. My son attends a great private school for sports, and while it's a fantastic high ranking private school, it still doesn't compare academically to OCSA.

They have good music Fridays! Kids are cool and VERY TALENTED! My coworkers son attends, and seems like students are very prepared for college.

One of the top art schools in the state and well deserved. My child has been attending for three years now, under the Creative Writing conservatory, and has thoroughly enjoyed the program. Academics at this school are rigorous, but reasonable and he has struggled a bit, but conservatory keeps his interests way up. I believe he wouldn't be doing as well academically had he attended a standard high school. Having his conservatory to look forward to has helped him to push through other required courses. His teachers have always been accommodating in helping him stay on top of his grades, and there is a more than competent staff of counselors and advisors ready to support him with any needs. He has utilized them frequently! I can't speak for other conservatories, but the Creative Writing conservatory is a gift and a privilege for all aspiring young writers. It's a welcoming community of creatives where the quirkiest of kids find a home. The teachers are spectacularly brilliant and encouraging. They have more than students. They have fans. The course selection is everything you could imagine and would want to take if you had to do it over again. Donations are strongly encouraged, but not required. As a single mother, there is very little I can do financially, but my child has not suffered because of this. Hoping when he becomes a famous writer, we can give back for all the support and love we've received.

Awesome arts school with 14 conservatories! We travel 40 miles each day for four years! Totally worth it for my daughter!

Great school. World Class Art School. Excellent Teachers, Smart students. Great Counselor​. God bless OCSA.

Love this amazing school for both of our Children! Both my husband and I are constantly amazed by the talent and maturity of the students, faculty and parents. So many wonderful people all in the same place is a blessing. My teens are happy to go to school every day and don't want to miss anything. We all go to shows outside of their Conservatories as well as shows they are in and we love supporting this school. OCSA is a superior education and we lived in NY where our children attended the best Private Schools. We have never met such a large majority of students, faculty and parents who invest so much of their time, talent and hearts into one school! This school requires more hard work and dedication than most other schools but If you're lucky enough to become a part of the OCSA family, we highly recommend it. This Education is "lighting a fire, not filling a pale." Bravo to OCSA!!

Is it hard to get into OCSA? We are looking at not next year, but the year after for my granddaughter to start 7th grade.

OCSA is not a school for everybody that's for sure, you need to be committed, disciplined and hard working! I have a daughter who graduated in 2015, and currently have two more daughters attending OCSA, Ballet Folklorico Conservatory and Culinary Arts Conservatory. Academically OCSA is Excellent!

My daughter attends OCHSA and she absolutely loves it. If your child is into performing or visual arts, there's likely a conservatory that would suit them. Writers, film makers, set builders & back stage crew, dancers, musicians, actors, singers, even if you dance ballet folklorico there is a place for you! The academics are top notch, they even have a built in study hall period called block 7 which is used for times that you need more help in any particular subject. We love how different the kids are here. It's not unusual for kids to wear pajamas to school because they feel like it, put together random films on a whim, or even do a flash mob dance routine at lunch. It is a long day so this must be your life and passion. We do not live close to the school so our day begins at 5am. School starts at 8:00 and ends at 4:50pm for high school kids (3:30 for jr high) The academic day is always first and is done in blocks so you only have 3 classes in your academic day. Say Monday you have math, science and social studies, then Tuesday you'd have PE, English, and your language or elective class. If you're interested you should check the school's site for more specific information. Applications used to be available in January but I think it was earlier this year. People are applying to the school in record numbers so you need to really prepare for your audition. Commercial Dance is known to be the most difficult conservatory to get into so you really need to bring it.

OCHSA is a 7th-12th grade charter school which incorporates arts education into a general middle/high school education. There are now 11 different conservatories (I think there were 8 when I started) ranging from Classical Dance and Opera to Creative Writing and Film & Television. I attended OCHSA for its first six years in the Santa Ana location as a Musical Theater major. I got to see a lot of changes and growth happen in my 6 years there. I'm not really sure how to review it except to say that it changed my life in all good ways. It was an amazing and challenging environment to learn in. The school was small (1200 students then) and the conservatories were smaller, so students and their academic and arts faculty became like friends and sometimes almost like family. I can't give it five stars because there were so many kinks to work out in my time there (funding, class scheduling, how to utilize resources), but I can't give it less than four because that would be undermining all of the skills and self-awareness I gained there. The versatility of my education was the thing I valued most. Not only did I get to take classes in acting, singing, and dance, but I got to dabble in stage make-up, directing, opera, and television. Even though I am not pursuing any of these things as a career, I take the skills I learned with me through everything I do and I will continue to sing for as long as my voice works (which thanks to my training will hopefully be forever)! OCHSA gave me the chance to work with industry professionals (Susan Egan, Jodi Benson), learn among star peers (Vanessa Hudgens, Anneliese van der Pol, Drake Bell) and perform for the best (James L. Brooks, Jerry Herman). For that I can never repay it. Though I know it is always accepting donations...

The administration at this school are strictly administrators and have no interest in education. It's sad to see administrators with such closed minds and even corrupt minds as to fabricate instances for their agenda. I am extremely disappointed in how they lack any compassion for their students. The teachers on the other hand are opposite of management and are good teachers. Unfortunately they are powerless and afraid of the administration. People, don't be fooled by the high ratings for how else will parents rate? Don't be fooled by the degrees of the administrators. If your child is already at a good school, keep them there. It's not worth it. My child was 2 years ahead of courses and a winning participant in academic contests but has now become an average student. The administration also makes no attempt to know their students and is oblivious to diverse cultures.

I'm surprised that this school still hasnt recieved any reviews other than my own. Please, anyone that goes here and has a yelp account, write a review. Or if you don't have a yelp account, MAKE ONE!

My rating is actually 2.5 stars. The teachers I've met have been pleasant, as has the administration, for the most part. Yet, it seems to be an environment where a lot of "passing the buck," and shifting blame onto others occurs. I'd have a deeper respect for all those involved if I saw more personal accountability and ownership taking place, followed by acts to rectify the situation, whatever that situation may be. Perhaps too few people, hold too much power. There may not be enough time for one person to micro-manage it all which creates a perpetual cycle of saving face, at the expense of integrity. The administration may be mired in a layer of two of hypocrisy that's likely going to catch up with them sooner or later. My child only spent a summer course at OCSA. As of yet, we are neither terribly impressed nor terribly disappointed. We are remaining cautiously optimistic for this school to grow on us should our children choose to want to attend OCSA in any capacity; summer arts enrichment, or otherwise; but for now we have no plans to return.

This school is all about $$$. My daughter attended there for 1 semester almost 9 years ago. They rely heavily on parent donations. At that time she was working a lot as a child model and was starting her acting career. They had other successful student actors also. Although my daughter was getting straight A's and had excused absences from her studio teachers, OCSA threatened her with attendance probation, stating "We teach students to be successful adult performance artists, not student artists. They knew what she was doing when they accepted her. They only cared about the lost $ when she was absent. She choose to withdraw from that school and returned to the local school. Would NOT recommend if you think they'll accommodate and be supportive of your child's

I'm a current senior finishing up on my 6th! Year at Ocsa and it has been the BEST experience of my life. My family are alumni and it is the best charter school. This is why we are ranked so high. I honestly don't need to say a long message. Best place to send your artist. -Faith

My daughter has been going to this school just since August of last year. In that short of a time, this school has transformed her life and shaped her into a responsible young adult who knows what she wants to do in life and now has a plan on how to go out and get it. The teachers and administrators are terrific and the best part is that she's around kids just like her, with the same passion for music she has. This doesn't happen in a regular public school, at least not in the ones she went to before. I am so grateful for her time her an only wish she had been going there for as many years as allowed (they take grades 7-12). She has learned discipline, responsibility, patience, compassion, and more from this world of like minded kids and teachers. If your child has a passion or talent in any of the arts (dance, music, culinary, creative writing, etc), this is a place for them to thrive.

Not a good school. The teachers for academics are all fresh out of college because they don't have to be paid as much and are easier to fire. They don't accurately teach the curriculum and let every kid slack off if they have a "valid" excuse; i.e. "sorry I was busy". Most of the classes were comprised solely of busy work and videos often did more teaching than the individuals hired to do so. The "arts" programs are total jokes. They are full of 30-40 year old assholes who talk down to you and make sure to tell you that you aren't good enough as frequently as possible. They choose favorites and will constantly compare the rest of their class to them. I have a vivid memory of the flamenco teacher that was there during my years attending being fired for having an affair with an 18 year old girl ( he was around 47). Those aren't even the only problems concerning this school. There is a required yearly "donation" of 6000 dollars and OCSA has been threatened to be investigated for tax fraud, so they promptly built a new building for science and dance. Despite this new building, all of the original ones are still run down, full of cockroaches (roach city), and air conditioning that breaks down like it's on a timer. I would not recommend going to this school if you seek a good education and a fair chance to pursue the arts.

Amazing school with great talented teachers and students definitely recommend this school

I went to this school for 4 years in middle and high school. While the artistic portion is good, the academics were terrible, especially in comparison with Irvine schools. I switched from OCHSA to an Irvine high school and I found out I was extremely behind in science, math, writing, and Spanish. The teachers here were young and idealistic, but they don't realize that education should be rigorous and challenging, not watered down. I got fat at this school too. Between going to school from 8-5 with a 30-60 minute commute to and from school meant only 1-3 hours per night for homework and no time for exercise. Edit: I forgot to add. Some of the conservatory teachers take themselves WAY too seriously here. When my sister was a freshman in her acting class, her teacher said "who here wants to be an actor/actress when they grow up?" And my sister as well as a few others didn't raise their hands. The teacher went CRAZY belittling them for daring to do acting in high school without having any plans to do it as a career. Excuse me? These are 14-17 year olds in a high school theater class. They are still figuring out their passions and talents. You don't need to plan on being an actor for life because you go to OCHSA. Maybe you like acting and want to do it for a few years but ultimately want to be a doctor, teacher, lawyer, painter, engineer, etc. Maybe you don't know what you want to do with your life because you are freaking 14. Who does this woman think she is for belittling teenagers for not having their lives planned out??? Edit: another time I went to see a show here. I arrived a little late and the ushers were sooo disrespectful and rude. When I arrived a little late an usher, Usher A told me to wait. I patiently waited and another usher, usher B came and placed me in a seat. At the end of the show usher A came to me and said "why did you sit down when I told you to wait?" I calmly responded with "usher B sat me down". Instead of backing off and moving on, usher B felt entitled to affirm her authority/dominance the ONLY usher we should listen to by having a HUGE SCREAMING FIT at a horrified, shocked, and disgusted high schooler a quarter her age. I stormed off and my mom spoke to Jeff Paul. The kicker was I KNEW HER SON and HE WASNT EVEN IN THE SHOW. I wasn't stealing "junior's" (fake name) limelight in the high school play. In fact, I felt really sorry for junior and reasoned that his crazy mom was the reason why he, too had major issues. I vowed never to go to another OCHSA show ever again. I have been to other high school plays and never seen such moronic, unprofessional, and hysterical behavior on behalf of the parent ushers. Another problem is that this school is incredibly sexist and sexual. People engage in X-rated PDA all over the place and no one does anything about it. During jazz dances CHILDREN ages 11 and up were bullied into dancing like strippers. If you tell your teacher you are uncomfortable she brushes off your natural feelings of child exploitation and threatens to lower your grade. Girls face intense pressure to wear revealing clothes and teachers ignore the dress code. Since there are way fewer straight males than straight females, girls feel obligated to throw themselves right and left at the boys. Edit: I found out they use common core math here!! That lowered my review to 1-star! Common core is a disaster!

The best art school in California. Not only does it provide the student with their form of art but also the education needed to move on to college. Highly recommend this school.

I find this school to be an excellent choice, if your child is into the arts. It is a very long day, and you have to be disciplined in keeping everything in check. I have nothing but admiration for the administration, like any place else, it has some flaws. There are a few teachers that I find to be lacking in their teaching abilities, but how can you not give praise to the % of good teachers? You are going to find the same negatives where ever your child goes to school. When you run your business, are you always going to be wanting just the complaints? One person said the school made her fat. Umm...last time I checked, no one makes you fat, except yourself. We all know, it takes fifteen minutes a day to fit in some exercise, stay off your phone, and use portion control! I'd like to take the time to thank some of the wonderful administrators and teachers there. Kathy Presby, very caring, helpful. Kara McCann, caring, helpful. Wendy Tobiska, Jacq Tobiska, encouraging, helpful, caring. Science- Kristine Karlberg, Mrs. Seman... excellent teachers. English-Stacie Cruz, Heidi Foote go excellent ! Math- Mrs. Gerahulu(forgive my spelling), Mrs Conri, were able to teach my non math student. History- Sharon Browne, Mr. Dion, caring people...They love their OCSA kids. Spanish- Mrs Ford, excellent! Best back to school night ever, in 37 years of raising my kids. To all the conservatory teachers, most of them, along with these teachers I mentioned, have made a big impact in my child's life. If your student desires to learn,they will get the best these people have to offer. So, if you want to compare school to school, go ahead. Ultimately, it is up to the individual how serious and discaplined they wish to be. Have there been a few occasions that I have been highly annoyed with some issues, of course. My daughter is my fourth and last child, I have had an enjoyable go of it, COMPARING with the other schools my other children have gone. The only negative has been the driving. Don't we do that for our children, such as sports and other activities they maybe involved with. I'd like to rant about the few times I've been annoyed, but overall, this school is a wonderful place to be, if your child has these interests. It is not fair to concentrate on the negatives, when the overall picture is grand.

Dedicated teachers and staff. They deserve kudos for giving kids passion for school. And helping kids excel in their talent.

I am currently a senior in mt at ocsa and I will say that this school was such a blessing. Academics were really important to me and while they are rigorous they are absolutely fantastic. Being in the musical theatre conservatory completely changed me as an artist and made me appreaciate not just performing, but the work. I will say ocsa is not for the faint of heart, but if you or your child is looking for a great education in the arts in a great campus with a diverse, beautifully unique student body ocsa is the place for you.

I love the dedication shown by the teachers. Honestly we just watched the a Titanic and the acting and song was fantastic!! Their is as much talent on their sets as their are on professional stages. Motto mention the overall API scores.

My daughter attended OCHSA as a Commercial Dancer. She went on to be a dance major in college. Most important is the emphasis on academics at OCHSA. Look up the rankings in the OC Register and US News and World Report. It is an arts school so the students are creative and somewhat quirky but also diverse and very accepting of individuality. If you are not an artist, actor or dancer there is still a place for you, Consider the Production and Design Conservatory is a great place to learn about lighting, set building, running the sound board, etc. Check out all 11 conservatories. The campus feels safe and the students well monitored. All in all a great decision for our family to be at OCHSA.

My daughter is going into her 4th year at OCSA - started as an 8th grader - and she absolutely LOVES the school and so do I. PARENTS - it is NOT for everybody, though. The day starts at 8:05 - and most kids commute from quite far away - and the 9 - 12 grades get out at 4:50 so it is a very LONG DAY for our kids. Conservatory hours start at 2:15 - 4:50 every day except Fridays. The 7th and 8th graders get out at 3:30 every day but can stay until 4:50 and go to Homework Club if they need to stay bc of their carpool or bus pickup. School gets out at 1:30 on Fridays which is wonderful because the kids are usually very tired by Friday and need the early dismissal. NOTE TO PARENTS - DO NOT try to get your audition material ready and get your child into OCSA unless your child is sincerely passionate about their art, classical or commercial singing, classical, international, ballroom or commerical dancing, piano, culinary arts, film and TV editing, instrumental music, acting, commercial music, production & design or digital media work. Your child has to live and breath their conservatory or they will strongly dislike the school. It is just too time consuming and draining of a schedule unless they are fully engaged in their art. Your child also has to be highly self-motivated & organized with their academics, which can be VERY RIGOROUS if your child takes Honors or AP classes. The students also have to be very on top of tests, homework, personal time management (saying no to parties and sleepovers on weekends with their old non-OCSA friends in our case) AND being very resilient with rejection and not getting the roles they want or placed where they think they should be placed in certain shows, etc. Your student will learn about their own personal limits, boundaries and what makes them tick - that is the real heart of OCSA. It is a very accepting environment for all the artists - they respect each other, almost like a college campus accepts and encourages diversity with their student body. ALL the kids I have met are "good kids" doing the best they can and are respectful of their teachers and other adults in general. I have read some of the negative reviews and we have had none of the issues they brought up - the teachers have ALL been amazing - NOT perfect mind you - but very engaged with their students, easy access for questions or clarification on any subject and happy to be teaching at such a prestigious school. The school counselors are top notch but you PARENTS need to get to know them early on and so does your student. OCSA does not hold your or your students' hands at all unless you ask for help or assistance and then they are more than willing to help you. OCSA students are generally pretty mature and know what they want and go after it. One of my daughter's good friends who is a current Senior in classical dance is going to Harvard this Fall - exceptional student and person - but she did it all on her own because of guts, persistence, hard work, self-motivation and true passion for her art. Good luck to all of you. Signed off - Happy OCSA parent :-)

My children and I were given tickets to a recent production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at OCSA. We were aware that it was going to be outside, but were told to bring our own chairs and blankets. When we arrived at the gate, we were told that our own chairs would not be allowed. My kids took the chairs back to the car, since we were not permitted to enter with them; in the meantime, several people cut in front of us by pulling the old "hey, don't I know you?" ruse on the people in front of me. Once we were inside, people were being yelled at and packed in so tightly, other people's feet were on our blanket, we were bumping into other people when we tried to change positions, and my daughter was singled out by one of the personnel who shouted "girl in the red pants, MOVE UP!" A girl in front of me said she was saving the space for a friend, and the man yelled at her "how many?" She said "one," to which he responded, "We'll fit three there!" I have been in the military and there were drill sergeants that didn't yell at us the way these people were yelling at kids and guests alike. We finally picked up and left, as the situation did not look safe, and I'm sure several fire codes were being violated. It didn't help either, that the group behind us chose to see how many times they could say "Jesus Christ," in a mocking way. Others in our vicinity had just laughed when I said that it was offensive. I got the feeling this school is not very tolerant of Christian beliefs, and that is confirmed by some of the other reviews I've read on here. It also seems to be full of very self-important people that fit the old cliché "Legends in their Own Minds" to a tee.

Whether you live far away from Santa ana or close by OCHSA is truly a special place for talented kids to finish their high school education. They start at 7th grade through 12th grade. My first daughter started in Integrated Arts then changed over to Piano Conservatory in 8th grade. They offer so many different conservatories, if you're not a singer, dancer that's ok! Some people are worried about the education not being a focus but that's not the case. Dr. Opacic has always focused on the education part making sure OCHSA ranked high and it's very challenging. I'm now sending my second child to this wonderful arts school and am excited about the platform this Performing arts high school has given my first daughter. A wonderful platform that probably wouldn't have been reached at a regular school. If you have talented children and want the best education and arts program available and live in Southern California...OCHSA is the school you should be sending your child to. http://www.ocsarts.net check it out! Go see some performances. Auditions are currently happening and it's not too late to sign up your child for the 2010/2011 school year!

Some of the academic teacher are very good -- some are really bad, they don't care if you learn the subjects. Conservatory teachers play favorites - don't go here if you and your parents are not kiss ups. Principal and other old men in charge run around in their golf cart - don't get to know students. Never saw any of them, except for the asst principal ever talk to any student. Not a good place if you don't like drama.

Not a good school if you are not willing to go with the flow. Administration does not tolerate any critical comments. I hear that they don't like to deal with kids with learning issues.

This school is an amazing place! I don't say that lightly either. My son attends the Music & Theater conservatory at OCSA and upon a grueling audition process was accepted. He commutes over 3 hours a day just to attend this school, and is loving every minute of it. He has had amazing opportunities (on the 8th day of school he was auditioning and now working with the Musical director for Walt Disney Co. in a play) and the teachers of core subjects have been wonderful and inspiring! He finds this a place of creative acceptance and is thriving in every way possible. Thank you OCSA for having such an amazing program! I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort (and it's A LOT)!