Chicago Academy for the Arts

Academically, this school is excellent. Small classes the students are challenged and receive very high test scores.
Artistically, it depends on the department. Do your research and talk to the students in each department to get a feel for what your student will encounter. Dance and Musical Theatre receive a lot of support the other departments not so much.
Socially, there is a major divide between students who are on scholarship and those whose parents pay the 24K price tag. The feedback I received from students was paying students were less likely to get disciplined as harshly as scholarship students.
ROI, there were a number of times I didn’t feel welcomed in the building and wasn’t pleased by the services provided by staff. I had extremely high expectations for the school and my student. I always felt my student kept her end of the bargain but I never felt the school lived up to its marketing hype. Small classes can have its pros and cons at times I felt my student was falling into a «group think» mentality typically applied in asian cultures.
My daughter developed friendships that I believe she will have for a lifetime. Skills from the VA Department that she will continue to build upon. She loved CAA and hated to leave.

i have a friend who got in and she plays the flute. she tells me its a very great school to attend if you want to have a performing arts career. i’ve also been inside and like the facilities.

This place is actually a high school! Its a non-​profit, college prep high school that specializes in the arts. They offer expert classes in dance, music, theater and art. They’ve got an awesome balance of academic work and art work and the students are required to participate in performances which are open to the public! Definitely a great school to look into if you know someone or have a children interested in a career in the arts!