History:
The Las Vegas Academy of the Arts (LVA) is a nationally recognized, award-winning magnet high school, serving approximately 1,720 students in Clark County, Nevada. Located in the center of the Las Vegas Founders District, LVA serves students from throughout the district in grades 9-12. LVA provides students the opportunity to pursue a conservatory in the areas of dance, music, theater, or visual arts within which majors are available in band, vocal music, dance, guitar, international studies (French, Japanese, and Spanish), mariachi, orchestra, photography, piano, studio art, technical theatre, theatre, visual design, and world jazz studies. The four conservatories, previously considered majors, were updated in 2017 as an effort to emphasize the academy’s focus on the arts. All students must meet certain criteria for acceptance: completing an application, auditioning in their chosen performing major, preparing a portfolio, and taking an aptitude test.
LVA offers students intellectually challenging learning experiences and empowers them with the 21st-century skills and knowledge to compete successfully in the international workplace. LVA is a FIVE-STAR school according to the Nevada School Accountability System and boasts a 100% graduation rate. LVA offers more Advanced Placement exams than any other CCSD school. Eighty percent of its graduating seniors enroll in a post-secondary institution, and last year, over $21 million in scholarships were awarded.
LVA has received national, state, and local accolades, including those from the White House; Senators Heller and Cortez Masto; Congresswoman Titus; Governor Sandoval; and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. LVA has received twelve Grammy Signature School Awards for excellence in music programs and has been recognized by the International Network of Performing and Visual Arts schools as a STAR school. In 2000, the U.S. Department of Education recognized LVA as a New American High School. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education honored LVA as a U.S. Blue Ribbon School, making it one out of only 17 high schools in the country to have received both prestigious awards. LVA has been designated a School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America. In 2013, LVA received the Outstanding Arts School Award from the Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation's largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools. Most recently, ASN awarded LVA Exemplary Status 2018-2023 for overall excellence and leadership in arts education. Niche.com awarded LVA an overall A grade.
