Create, Learn, Thrive: It’s What Middle Schoolers Do at the New York City Charter School of the Arts
Transitioning to middle school can be a lot for New York children and their parents. For the first time, kids are leaving familiar elementary schools for a larger, more complicated, and louder environment while dealing with complex schedules, increased workloads, multiple teachers, brand-new peers, and adolescence.
Meanwhile, New York parents have to deal with NYC’s byzantine application process in the hope of finding a school that fits their child academically, socially and hopefully, geographically, all while dealing with the anxiety that their choices may not prepare their children for admittance to one of the city’s ultra-competitive high schools.
These are just some reasons why NYC Charter School of the Arts (CSA) is a welcome choice for New York Families. CSA is the only charter middle school in Manhattan committed to combining artistic, academic, and social/emotional learning as a model for whole-child education.
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Redefining Learning with the Arts
“Most schools only prioritize academics and view the arts as secondary, but at CSA, we’ve discovered that when we emphasize both, alongside a focus on emotional development, we call upon students’ intuitive creativity, allowing them to thrive in all areas,” says Executive Director Andrea d’Amato. At CSA, the Create-Learn-Thrive framework imbues every moment of every day.
In sixth grade, students start with piano study, seventh graders explore visual arts, and eighth graders participate in “Creative Connections”, an interdisciplinary original course created by co-founder Kate Quarfordt that integrates artistic and academic learning while developing their own voice for social justice. Students also choose elective ensemble courses ranging from theater to strings to digital storytelling, dance, and music tech for young producers.
Students undertake these creative pursuits in the context of rigorous academic studies. For example, visual art brings history lessons to life, students learn math in music class by studying rhythm, and world literature informs every theatrical expression.
Founded in 2016 by three educators from a Bronx school, CSA synergizes music, visual arts and performance, and social activism to offer students a rich, multi-layered experience that prepares them for various opportunities in high school and beyond. The Arts are integrated into the CSA curriculum instead of added to it.
“Our students aren’t just learning about music theory; they’re applying mathematics,” says a CSA co-founder, Dr. Geoffrey Kiorpes. “They’re not just reading about historical events; they’re embodying them through theatrical performances.”
CSA is the only school in the SUNY portfolio that in 2022 exceeded 2019 pre-pandemic test scores. As a result, CSA regularly sends more than half of its students who applied for a New York City high school to their first-choice school, with 80% getting into either their first, second, or third-choice school.
CSA students didn’t just receive offers from arts-oriented high schools such as Laguardia, Frank Sinatra, and the High School of Art and Design, but also from nationally ranked academic powerhouses like Brooklyn Latin and Stuyvesant.
Strength in Diversity
Beyond test scores and high school admissions, the arts education offered at CSA is crucial for the development of emotionally healthy adolescents. An arts education equips CSA students for today’s challenges by offering them the adaptability and problem-solving skills necessary to address whatever their futures may bring. Diversity is integral to a CSA education.
Students attend the Financial District campus from every corner of New York City. “Our location next to over ten subway stops means we’re accessible to families from the Bronx to the Rockaways, from Queens to Staten Island,” explains Aengus Ortiz, CSA’s Director of Administration who handles admissions, “We’re seeing students travel from all corners of the city to be part of our community.”
This citywide draw has created one of the most diverse student populations among charter schools in Manhattan. With 65% economically disadvantaged students and 29% students with disabilities, CSA is fulfilling its mission to provide arts education to all learners, especially those who typically lack access to high-quality arts programming.
The Gift of Lifelong Creativity
NYC Charter School of the Arts is a compelling option for families seeking a middle school experience that nurtures the whole child. Artistic expression, academic excellence, and personal growth unite to create a truly transformative education. NYC Charter School of the Arts is now enrolling for the 2025-26 school year. Learn more at cityschoolofthearts.org.
Educators have a saying: “You can have good classroom management without learning, but you can’t have learning without good classroom management.” As true as that statement is, however, it misses a crucial component of the school experience: the arts.
Too often, the arts are first to be cut from cash-strapped public school budgets, primarily because their many benefits for K-12 students aren’t immediately apparent in test scores. However, in 2019, the Brookings Institute conducted a study in Houston, TX, that measured the very real effects of a reinvigorated arts program for students.
They found that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has a remarkable impact on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Students in the study experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent in their compassion for others, as measured by how students are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are mistreated.
Further, the study found that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement and college aspirations. Students were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, that it makes them think in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school.
Although conducted in 2019, the Brookings study confirmed what New York City Charter School of the Arts has been discovering since its founding in 2002.
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