Finding out more about Arts High School and the Admissions process starts right here, by browsing the pages of the website, especially those located under the Admissions tab on our website.

To apply for acceptance to Arts High School, you must:

1. Sign up to attend an audition (as well as any subsequent call-backs and/or interviews)
2. AND fill out the Newark Board of Education High School Application (The Newark Enrolls application)

The NBOE High School application will be available at www.NewarkEnrolls.org between November 4th, 2023 and February 2nd, 2024.

Arts High School Admissions Auditions will be held by appointment on December 16, 2023, and January 6, 2024. 

Walk-in auditions are always available on either audition day on a first come-first served basis.  However, we recommend you sign up in advance, if possible, to limit your wait time.

Audition sign-up opens in November on this website under the Admissions tab titled Audition Requirements, Videos, and SIGN-UPS.

The Newark Board of Education uses a combination of Arts High School's audition/interview rankings, and school preference rankings of each student's family (located on the Newark Enrolls application) to match students to schools.

While a strong audition and interview are important, where you rank Arts High School on your application is just as important.  Even if Arts High School ranks you as a #1 pick, if you have ranked another school higher, you will be matched to that other school first.  The only way to maximize your chances of being matched to Arts High School is to rank us as your top choice.

For all Newark residents, Arts High School Admissions Auditions will be held by appointment on December 16, 2023 and January 6, 2024.  Audition sign-up opens on this website in early November under the Admissions tab titled Admissions Requirements, Videos, and SIGN-UPS.

For students whose families are new to the city of Newark (only):

• Auditions for rising 9th and 10th grade students are ongoing.
• Rising 11th and 12th grader students are only considered if they are coming from a similar program at a visual and performing arts high school in another city.

Arts High School is a public magnet high school, and is a part of the Newark Board of Education, serving residents of Newark, NJ.  Only students who live in Newark, and are entering 9th and 10th grades can audition for placement.  (10th grade students must provide additional materials in order to be considered.)

• Rising 10th grade students must provide a current report card and a letter of recommendation from a counselor at their current school, or they will not be considered for admission, regardless of an otherwise successful audition.  Rising 10th grade student auditions will be adjudicated based on the expectations of the 10th grade arts curricula.  
• 11th and 12th graders cannot be considered at all, unless they are transferring into the district from an equivalent visual and performing arts high school program in another city.

Note: The only exception to the Newark residency requirement is a student with a parent/guardian who works for the Newark Board of Education.

Absolutely. 

However, you must provide proof of Newark residence within 30 days after beginning to attend Arts High School (or any Newark Board of Education school) in September of 2024.

Please sign up for an open house here, or visit us at the All Schools Fair Nov 4.  If you miss these events, there is a promotional video, as well as the access to the presentation used for the Newark Board of Education All Schools Fair available here on our website. 

We have tried to be as thorough, as possible, but if after viewing the promo video and the All Schools Fair presentation, reviewing these answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and reviewing the Audition Requirements, Videos, and SIGN-UPS pages, you still have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Main Office, and they will connect you to an admissions representative, or other appropriate staff member.  Their phone number is 973-733-7391.

Student Shadow Days - If you are interested in scheduling a Student Shadow Day, please contact VP Sharpe at RSharpe@nps.k12.nj.us.  This is an opportunity for prospective students to come and spend the day at Arts High School.  Prospective students spend the school day with one of our upperclass peer leaders, following their class schedule, and getting a more authentic feel for what a day at Arts High School really looks and feels like.

Yes, you can still audition.

Open Houses and information sessions are for the benefit of the auditioner and their family, and are not required.  They exist to provide an overview of the school's programs, to make the application/admissions process more clear, and to answer any additional questions.  These same goals can be met by reviewing the information located on the website, under the Admissions tab.

Yes, students may audition for up to (2) two different departments.  However, if successful in both auditions, the student can only be admitted into one department, which will be determined by the higher audition score.

In 2022, Arts High School also began to offer "Minor" programming in various majors, for credit, during the blocks immediately prior to, and immediately following, the regular school day.  These programs are open to all students.

ABSOLUTELY YES!  Entrance to Arts High School is competitive, and not all auditioners are accepted.  

That being said, not all students have had the same arts education opportunities, and all students come here to learn and improve their skills.  The audition panels are not expecting perfection; they want to see evidence of thoughtful preparation and clear effort put forth.  Some of our most successful students have been accepted based on observed preparation, potential, passion, and effort.

Review the Audition Requirements and Videos as soon as possible. Be prepared to show the Adjudication Board your best and most complete work.  The audition videos were created by members of the departmental audition panels to help students prepare.

If after reviewing the requirements and videos, you still have specific questions, there is contact information for most departments at the bottom of their audition requirements pages, and/or you can ask your elementary/middle school arts teacher or counselor for their assistance.

The primary criteria by which Arts High School selects prospective students are the admissions auditions and/or admissions interviews.   A student's academic history will certainly be reviewed (grades, attendance, etc.), but the audition is the most important first step in the admissions process. Only a successful audition/ portfolio review, successful family interview, AND school assignment through the Newark Board of Education will be used for admissions to Arts High School.

It should be noted that, once accepted, there is a rigorous general education program in place here at Arts High School, which students must maintain, in addition to their major.

For appropriate students, the academic program includes many honors and AP courses, as well as dual-enrollment with local colleges, and Career and Technical Education offerings.

We have a thriving special needs population, which is 100% inclusion learning, and an excellent MLL program for Multilingual Language Learners. 

Ranked in US News and World Report's list of America's Best High Schools, overall, our students are academically competitive with students of similar age in Newark, in New Jersey, and on the national level.

Like all other magnet school applicants, auditioners for Arts High School must take the NBOE Magnet School Placement Test.  However, the primary criteria for admission to Arts High School remains the audition/interview.

• Current NBOE students will take the test during the school day at their current schools on February 9 and 16, 2024.
• The test will be offered for non-NBOE students on February 10 and 17, 2024.  Families should see the Newark Enrolls website for test date, location, and details

You will find a detailed breakdown of the criteria required for auditions/portfolio review under each department heading on the Audition Requirements, Videos and SIGN-UPs page.  This page also includes videos prepared by the instructors in each major to assist with preparation.

Auditioners should also take advantage of their current arts teachers, in their elementary/middle schools, and any additional arts programs they attend, to assist them in preparing.

Each applicant is adjudicated by Arts High School faculty and industry professionals, based on each department's specific needs and requirements.  The applicants with the highest overall audition scores, who have met all other admissions and application requirements, will be considered for admission.

(Again, please remember, school placement is partially contingent upon a completed Newark Board of Education High School Application - the "Newark Enrolls application.")

There are call-back auditions, but only in certain majors.  (These are generally Vocal Music, Dance, and Drama.)

Not receiving a call-back does NOT mean a student has not been accepted.  It does mean that, either the panel was able to see enough evidence in the initial audition to assign a clear score, or that there are no call-backs for that particular major.

Some students will also be invited for a Family Admissions Interview to better determine their compatibility with the programming and expectations of being an Arts High School artist-scholar.

Auditions will be held at Arts High School, 550 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ. 

The school is located between Saint Benedict's Prep and Whigham's Funeral Home.

Arts High School has a total enrollment of approximately 600 students. This year, Arts High School expects to have spaces for approximately 180 incoming students. Spaces become available through graduation, attrition, and departmental need.

Arts High School will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities, on the basis of that disability, in its services, programs, or activities, in accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).  

Arts High School's special needs offerings are 100% inclusion.  There are accommodations for which we are not staffed, or set-up, to provide in-house. These will be handled by the NBOE Office of Special Education on a case-by-case basis.

Arts High School has a newly-created high-intensity MLL program for all ELL students.

While we do not currently offer a Bilingual program, we encourage all interested students to audition, regardless, as all ELL and Bilingual students are assessed at the end of each school year, and some current Bilingual students may be able to transition into an ELL program for the 2024-2025 school year.