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Private School

Idyllwild Arts Academy

#1 in Best High Schools for the Arts in America
  • A+
    Overall Grade
  • Private, Boarding
  • 9-12
  • Idyllwild, CA
  • 39 reviews
A+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Diversity
    A+
  3. Teachers
    B+
  4. College Prep
    A
  5. Clubs & Activities
    A
  6. Sports
    C-
Address
52500 Temecula Drive
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Telephone
(951) 468-7223
Website
idyllwildarts.org

Applying

Application Deadline
Rolling Admissions
Application Fee
$60
Interview Required
Yes
Required/Recommended Tests
None

Tuition

Yearly Tuition
$30,000
Tuition is for the highest grade offered and may have changed for the current school year. For more information, please contact the school.
Boarding (Tuition + Boarding)
$62,835
Received Financial Aid
60%
Average Financial Aid
$25,000
From Idyllwild Arts Academy

The Idyllwild Arts Academy provides pre-professional training in the arts and a comprehensive college preparatory curriculum to a diverse student body of gifted young artists from all over the world.

Idyllwild Arts Academy Rankings

Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents.

Academics

Average Graduation Rate
99%
Average SAT
1160
36 responses
Average ACT
28
8 responses
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Popular Colleges

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Culture & Safety

Poll
89%
of students agree that they feel safe at their school.9 responses
Poll
78%
of students agree that they like their school and feel happy there.9 responses
Poll
What are your favorite school events or traditions?
Based on 32 responses
Report
  • Performances by students
    28%
  • International dinner
    22%
  • School trips
    22%
  • All school meetings
    16%
  • Dances
    13%

    Boarding

    Students Boarding
    90%
    Boarding Days Per Week
    7-day
    Top Countries
    China, Japan, Mexico
    International Boarding Students
    50%

    Students

    Diversity
    A+
    Based on racial and economic diversity and survey responses on school culture and diversity from students and parents.
    Students
    310
    90%
    of students and parents agree that students at this school are competitive.10 responses
    100%
    of students and parents agree that students at this school are creative and artsy.10 responses
    0%
    of students and parents agree that students at this school are athletic.10 responses

    Teachers

    Student-Teacher Ratio
    4:1
    National
    17:1
    Poll
    83%
    of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons.12 responses
    Poll
    92%
    of students and parents agree that the teachers genuinely care about the students.12 responses
    Poll
    67%
    of students and parents agree that the teachers adequately lead and control the classroom.12 responses

    Clubs & Activities

    Clubs & Activities
    A
    Based on student and parent reviews of clubs and activities.
    Girls Athletic Participation
    —
    Boys Athletic Participation
    —
    40%
    of students and parents agree that there are plenty of clubs and organizations for students to get involved in.5 responses
    40%
    of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need.5 responses
    0%
    of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations.5 responses

    Idyllwild Arts Academy Reviews

    39 reviews
    All Categories
    Idyllwild Arts is amazing at first sight, but once you go into the atmosphere, you see that it is a corrupt, non-friendly, and absolutely terrible environment. The students are divided up into classes which is based off of their major, their prefect status, and their likability by the teachers. The academic teachers are incredible, while most of the arts teachers deny help and will refuse help. The administration is absolutely terrible, and do not care about the well being of the student. Idyllwild Arts is a terrible community that you shouldn’t attend. There is a small group of students that love it, and those are the students that are loved by the teachers, treated differently, and given awards. Those are the students that myself and many other students have been bullied by. Do not attend this school as it is a waste of your money. Go to a school that will not do anything to take your money, and will benefit every dollar towards the nurture of your kid’s well being and education.
    Start Your Review of Idyllwild Arts Academy
    Rate It!
    IAA invited my son into an academic and artistic community, comprised of faculty, staff and students communicating in a wide variety of languages, reflecting real diversity from around the world and within academic and artistic disciplines. While giving my son clear and rigorous guidance on the fundamentals and the incremental steps required to master any particular academic or artistic competence, he was encouraged to explore and take risks within his studies and projects. He learned and developed confidence in and out of the studio and classroom, through which experiences he developed resilience, when he fell short or erred on his path towards his goals. The administration provided structure and rules, with clear communication and warmth and nuance, as needed. His teachers held him accountable when he needed a check and built an independent path for enriched study in areas when he wanted to reach further.
    Overall, it is a good school. Stronger academics than most arts high school. Very open and concept based curriculums. Humanities teachers are very good! You can choose to take easier classes or you can challenge yourself with honors classes in most subjects. I would say the science department is the weakest.

    Arts departments are varied. Dance and theatre are very time consuming and rigorous. Other majors are not as stressful. You have to push yourself to really succeed and get the most out of your education. A lot have changes in faculty has happened the last two years. There are new department heads for theatre, music, inter arts, and film. Theatre has had the hardest time adjusting to the new head. The MT program is not very good anymore and the program emphasizes classical theatre now.

    There is a very unbalanced female/male ratio at the school in general. This gives boy advantages for casting in dance and theatre but disadvantages girls. There are not very many attractive straight boys and most of them feel entitled. The hookup culture is a big deal but leads to lots of jealousy and gossip.

    Plenty of students smoke/ drink.

    Asian students are very divided from the rest of the school.

    There are plenty of fun field trips to museums, concerts, plays, shopping, the beach, skiing, and ,theme parks in cities like Los Angeles and San Diego.

    Students are very friendly for the most part and very accepting. It is a very liberal campus and you will rarely meet someone who is conservative. Students are unique, hipsters, and very talanted.

    Overall I am glad I attended Idyllwild and would recommend it.