My daughter (7th grade) is an exceptionally gifted artist. She has an IEP for mild ADD. Her grades are great (4.0). She will be applying to high schools at the end of this year and I want to make sure we are looking at the right schools. We are in California and have heard about Idyllwild so that is on our list. She went to their summer program last year and will go again this year.
She applied to Interlochen for their summer program but hasn’t yet heard back. She will likely apply to Interlochen, assuming she likes the summer program.
I’ve heard of Walnut Hill but don’t know much about it so I’ve reached out to them.
Are there any schools I’m missing besides Idyllwild, Interlochen and Walnut Hill? Also, I’d love to hear from any visual arts majors that have experience at any of these schools.
Thanks in advance!
Check out Putney.
Also, check the number of borders at Walnut Hill and how many stick around on the weekends.
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If you want to look at schools that have very strong arts but also have more academics - becauseyour D sounds like a good student -, you might want to look at George School in PA (although you should make sure they can support your student’s LD - my guess is yes.) It’s probably a worthwhile exercise before going all in on an arts high school to look at schools that could prepare her for college art school while keeping open other options (including BS BFA programs like Tufts.)
I always think of Interlochen as music and Walnut Hill as ballet schools primarily. With that said, I think you are definitely starting in the right direction if you are looking at “pre-professional arts” schools.
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It’s worth checking out the Cambridge School of Weston (Boston area).
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My son graduated from Interlochen a few years ago (music performance). The opportunities and instruction for the music students are amazing and unlike anything we could possibly provide at home. Like many/most of the musicians, my son transferred in as a Junior to focus and prepare for college auditions. Academics were fine, more discussion based than his public HS which he appreciated. He made good friends across many disciplines.
The one factor to be aware of is that Interlochen is very remote and very cold/dark for several months of the year. My son actually was fine with the winters (and also came from California, with his warmest prior clothing experience being Vans and a cotton hoodie) but he did say that he could not have been there for 4 years as the smallish student population and location felt confining at times.
Feel free to message me if you have questions. I do know of a graduating visual artist and may be able to put you in contact.
Good luck with your search. It sounds like you have an amazing daughter!
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My kids have spent summers at both Interlochen and Idyllwild. in additions you should look at the arts programs at Choate and Hotchkiss both of which we really liked. The later schools will be much more intensely academic. We liked George too and it probably splits the difference academically. Admissions here are very competitive but worth reviewing https://www.csssa.ca.gov/. We’ve had friends go and it was both rigorous and rewarding.
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She might do well at NMH if she has a good memory but has trouble with the executive management of multiple classes. NMH students take fewer classes each semester. Their arts program was outstanding. Academically NMH is good but not as crushing as some of the other boarding schools.
The biggest downside is that the campus is hard to reach—a flight to Hartford, Connecticut then a drive away to rural Massachusetts. But really a great school with many happy students.
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Sorry for the late response, but my daughter is a boarding student at North Broward Preparatory School in Florida. She is in their arts academy for visual arts and will be pursuing animation and game design in college. NBPS has an affiliation with SCAD and is excellent in preparing students for all forms of digital and visual arts. They also have excellent academics and sports programs. The benefit of the arts academy is that her course load is adjusted to allow for 3 art courses and 4 academic courses each year, making her extremely well prepared for art school.
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