In 1995, NSAA Founder Ron Caya had a vision: to open a high school that would give students an advantage in art and humanities with hopes of its graduates entering the professional fields of art and education. This has been achieved as demonstrated by the number of NSAA graduates continuing to college programs and becoming professionals in their fields, even returning to NSAA to teach the vision.

NSAA has taken pride in staffing our faculty with professional artists and knowledgeable, highly-qualified teachers, who inspire our students to excel. An enormous part of our successful community begins with the NSAA faculty and staff. NSAA teachers are among the best in the field and continue to grow professionally and stay abreast of new developments in pedagogy and best practices research.

After nine years of operating a high school, Founder Ron Caya decided it was time to open a middle school with a quality and comprehensive arts and academic curriculum to feed into the high school; this took place in 2003. The middle school physically joined the high school campus in 2005 and now shares teachers and staff which strengthen the program and continuity between the two schools. The schools serve families from over 20 zip codes around the valley. The NSAA organization holds two charters; the high school and middle school. The high school is in the process of earning NCA accreditation, not as an indicator of achievements, but to permit our students easy movement among other public schools.

80% of our graduates attend college. Others enter professional careers. Some of the many places they have gone:
U of A, ASU, & NAU, San Francisco Art Institute, Cornish College of the Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, Smith College, California College of Arts, California State Universities, SUNY, Mills College, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Fashion Institute of Technology, Berklee College of Music, and more…

The city of Tempe has been instrumental in contributing to our success since the high school’s relocation from Scottsdale to Tempe. Both schools have been awarded and supported by city grants, and recognition by the Mayor of Tempe and the City Council. Now that Light Rail is running, we enjoy increased accessibility to families, and ourselves have greater access to museums and theaters downtown. The City of Tempe has also used our facility for city meetings, and for community classes ranging from guitar to dance. The schools have created an annual tradition in participating in Mill Avenue events and other community festivals to bring the community closer, raise money and acquire recognition for the talented artists we teach.

NSAA’s teaching philosophy values active, hands-on learning, and the integration of arts with academics. We are also a public charter school, and as such NSAA is accountable for demonstrating progress from year to year in student achievement, measured in part through AIMS. NSAA meets graduation requirements for high school seniors, and complies with all legislation, both federal and state.

Our students will
*Study a wide variety of arts with outstanding, professional instructors
*Prepare for college, and/or our college-preparatory high school*
*Learn so much that they meet or exceed the Arizona academic standards
*Grow as caring citizens who are aware of and involved with our community
*Make positive decisions about their present & future
*Develop fulfilling relationships with teachers
*Share their talents as a mentor for peers
*Explore and express a passion and enthusiasm for art in its many forms

On behalf of the NSAA administration and School Boards, we welcome our students and families and look forward to experiencing success for all of you as we grow and learn together.