Boston Arts Academy (BAA) in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, USA is Boston's first and only high school for the visual and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

and is a partnership between

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a superintendent, hired by t ...

and the ProArts Consortium. ProArts, a group of six arts colleges and universities in the Boston area, pushed the city to open the school, which was founded in 1998. The Consortium continues to support the school with performance space, music lessons and free college-level classes to BAA students. BAA won the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, the National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award for the 2009–2010 school year from the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network. Construction of new facilities at 174 Ipswich Street commenced July 1, 2018, leading to relocation of both Boston Arts Academy and the Boston Arts Academy Foundation. Boston Arts Academy building demolition

Programs

BAA is Boston's only public school dedicated to the arts.Kirk Carapezza
"Arts Academy Sees Record Auditions"
Radio Boston, WBUR FM. (February 14, 2011) Retrieved February 15, 2011 The school day has no sports, yet is eight hours, two hours longer than normal schools, to allow for classes in the arts disciplines.Tracy Jan
"Aiming for Fame"
''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' (February 4, 2007). Retrieved February 15, 2011 BAA was also Boston's first full-inclusion high school; students with disabilities are fully integrated into the school program.Iris Fanger
"‘Dance Across the City’ returns"
''

Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...

''. (January 7–13, 2005). Retrieved February 16, 2011Mark Shanahan
"The krumper: Russell Ferguson"
''The Boston Globe'' (January 2, 2011). Retrieved February 16, 2011"Derek Walcott’s Ti-Jean and His Brothers"
Central Square,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, Massachusetts. Blog post. Retrieved February 17, 2011 Although admission is academic-blind, eighth graders must audition to be accepted to the performing arts program. In 2007, only 27% of the dance applicants were accepted, just 6% were accepted to the drumming program; and just 25 of the 81 theater applicants. BAA had 800 applicants for 150 slots in 2011. BAA offers an education to urban youth who come from less-than ideal backgrounds. In 2010, the school ran a pilot program for 125 ninth graders in

summer school Summer school (or summer university) is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, or provided by a private company, that provides lessons and activities during the summer vacation. Participation in summer school ...

, who spent Fridays at BAA in remedial courses with recent BAA graduates as teachers.June Q. Wu
"With art, students express unspeakable anxieties"
''The Boston Globe'' (August 4, 2010) Retrieved February 15, 2011 The students had very poor attendance records and social problems, such as direct experience with violence. Most were in danger of not being promoted. The program was set up to rekindle an interest in school through non-traditional learning using theater, music,

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

, poetry and other art forms. BAA is a member of the ProArts Consortium. Other members include

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, the Boston Architectural Center,

The Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...

Massachusetts College of Art Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation's oldest art schools, and the only publicly funded independent art sch ...

, and the

School of the Museum of Fine Arts The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Massa ...

.Mission Statement
Professional Arts Consortium, official website. Retrieved February 16, 2011 ProArts coordinates programs among its members to expand educational opportunities and resources for participating institutions and works to enrich the arts and arts education in Boston and throughout the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Notable alumni

Russell Ferguson Russell Ferguson is an American Krump dancer from Boston, Massachusetts. He won ''So You Think You Can Dance'' season 6, making him the first Krump contestant to win the title. Russell is a graduate of the Boston Arts Academy and attended the Uni ...

, winner of season 6,

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and has ...

Diane Guerrero Diane Guerrero (born ) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as inmate Maritza Ramos in the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Lina on ''Jane the Virgin''. Her role on ''Orange Is the New Black'' has contributed to thre ...

, actress (rose to prominence with role in ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Pr ...

'') * David Davidson, guitarist with the band

Revocation Revocation is the act of wikt:recall, recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void (law), void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is c ...

* Isaac Akiba, principal with the Boston Ballet Company

References

External links

Boston Arts Academy website
{{authority control High schools in Boston Schools of the performing arts in the United States Educational institutions established in 1998 Public high schools in Massachusetts 1998 establishments in Massachusetts