Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA, ), is a 7th–12th grade public

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

located in downtown Santa Ana,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The school caters to middle and high school students with talents in the performing,

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (th ...

, literary arts, culinary arts and more. The educational program prepares students for higher education institutions or employment in the professional arts industry. In 2010 the school's academic and arts programs were ranked with silver medal status in the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best High Schools" list. In 2012 the school changed its name from Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA) to its current name, Orange County School of the Arts.

History

Originally, this arts program began in 1983 as Los Al Players, a summer musical theatre camp for ages 4 – 16 founded by Terry Bigelow, Jean Parks, and Ralph Opacic in Los Alamitos, CA. Los Al Players grew into the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA) in 1987 and reorganized as a public charter school on April 20, 2000. In the summer of 2000, Francis Ford Coppola served as a guest artist at the school, directing and writing a production of his musical, ''Gidget'', with songs by

John Farrar John Clifford Farrar ( ; born 8 November 1946) is an Australian music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963–64), The Stra ...

and starring

Krysta Rodriguez Krysta Anne Rodriguez (born July 23, 1984) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Ana Vargas in the NBC series '' Smash'', Summer Henderson in the NBC series '' Trial & Error'', Maxine Griffin in the ABC series '' ...

(a student at the time) and Dermot Mulroney. During that time the school was relocated from its primary facility at

Los Alamitos High School Los Alamitos High School (also known as Los Al) is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los ...

to the Santa Ana Unified School District. OCSA is a tuition-free, donation-dependent public charter school governed by a board of trustees representing parents, the community, educators and the Orange County Board of Education. The school is supported by The Orange County School of the Arts Foundation which is a non-profit organization for the financial support of the school's tuition-free artistic programs as well as its ongoing expansion plans. The Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors. In the summer of 2012, the name of the school was changed from OCHSA (Orange County High School of the Arts) to OCSA (Orange County School of the Arts). This was done to account for the grades 7-8 that are also in attendance at the school.

Academics

The Orange County School of the Arts students attend standard academic courses under a block schedule system with three academic classes per day alternating each day for a total of six classes. Honors classes are offered as well as many Advanced Placement classes. OCSA also has a selection of electives including Acting,

Ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

, Improv, Graphic Design,

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

, Vocal Ensemble, Beginner Piano, Journalism, and

Photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...

. OCSA's 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) score of 908 ranked the school as one of the top five ranked high schools in Orange County and in the top 10 percent in California. OCSA was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2006 by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

. OCSA was one of 250 Blue Ribbon schools recognized nationwide in 2006 among 35 schools in the State of California and five public schools in Orange County. OCSA was also named a California Distinguished School. In 2021, 95% of OCSA alumni continued on to college, with 76% going on to a 4-year university, 13% going to a 2-year university with plans to transfer to a 4-year university and 11% going directly into the workforce. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA to continue participating in their artistic studies.

Arts

After 2:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday, the school focuses on arts education which is divided into 16 conservatories: Production and Design, International Dance (was Ballet Folklórico), Classical and Contemporary Dance], Commercial Dance,

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

, Film and Television, Integrated Arts, Instrumental Music (divided into Strings and Orchestra, Piano, Wind Studies, and Jazz), Popular Music, Musical Theater, Acting, Classical Voice (was

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...

, Culinary Arts and Hospitality, Digital Media, and Arts and Enterprise (New to the 2022-23 school year).

Notable students and alumni

* Kit Armstrong – classical pianist *

Scott Aukerman Scott David Aukerman (born July 2, 1970) is an American writer, actor, comedian, television personality, director, producer, and podcast host. Starting as a writer and performer in the later seasons of the sketch series ''Mr. Show'', Aukerman is ...

– writer / comedian * Bae Sung-yeon – singer and member of Pristin *

Dante Basco Dante R. Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American film, television and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', and Julian Lee in '' Fakin' da Funk'', and for his many vo ...

– actor * Dion Basco – actor *

Drake Bell Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...

– actor / musician *

Ashley Benson Ashley Victoria Benson (born December 18, 1989) is an American actress, model, and singer. She is known for her role as Hanna Marin in the teen mystery-drama series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017). Benson has starred in films, including ' ...

– actress * Stephanie J. Block – Broadway / Tony Winner 2018-2019 * Kara Crane – actress *

Chad Doreck Chad Joseph Doreck (born November 19, 1978) is an American actor. He is the voice of Crackle for Rice Krispies, and was the voice of the supporting role of Brad on the Nickelodeon series, ''My Life as a Teenage Robot''. In 2007, he was one of th ...

– actor *

Susan Egan Susan Farrell Egan (born February 18, 1970) is an American actress, singer and dancer, known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1 ...

– actress (also former OCSA artistic director) *

Michael Fishman Michael Aaron Fishman (born October 22, 1981) is an American actor, writer, and producer known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series ''Roseanne'' and its spin-off show, '' The Conners''. Early life Fishman was born in Los Angeles ...

– actor *

Lauren German Lauren Christine German is an American actress. She had her first major role in the 2002 teen romantic drama film ''A Walk to Remember'', followed by roles in the horror films '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003) and '' Hostel: Part II'' (2007 ...

– actress *

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens (; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (2006 ...

– actress / singer (attended OCSA 7th grade only) * Dinah Jane − singer & member of

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group sig ...

Allison Mack Allison Christin Mack (born July 29, 1982) is an American actress. She played Chloe Sullivan on the superhero series ''Smallville'' (2001–2011) and had a recurring role on the comedy series '' Wilfred'' (2012–2014). Mack was a member of N ...

– former actress, currently imprisoned for crimes related to the sex trafficking cult

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* Taryn Manning – actress * Joe and Luke McGarry - twin musicians / graphic artists *

Grace McLean Grace McLean is an American actress, playwright, composer and singer. She is known for her roles in various off-Broadway and Broadway productions such as ''Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812'', ''Bedbugs'', ''Alice by Heart'', and '' In T ...

-- Actress/Singer *

Lindsay Mendez Lindsay Michelle Mendez (born March 1, 1983) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in American musical theatre. Mendez won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge i ...

– Actress / Tony Award Winner 2017-2018 * Emma Milani - Actress *

Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox television show '' Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadw ...

– actor / singer / dancer * Pedro Pascal – actor * Monique Powell – vocalist *

– actress *

Matthew Shaffer Matthew Joseph Shaffer (born May 4, 1978) is an American musical theatre, television, and film actor, director, executive producer, author, and choreographer. He was born in Florence, Colorado, USA. Career Shaffer began his career in Southern C ...

– actor / dancer *

Columbus Short Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982) is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' fame). He is best known for his roles ...

– actor / choreographer * Justice Smith — actor * Nikki SooHoo – actress * China Soul – singer / songwriter *

Nicholas Urie Nicholas Urie (born July 29, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) is an American composer of jazz and classical music. Urie teaches jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music. Urie was a recipient of the first annual ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's A ...

– composer *

Anneliese van der Pol Anneliese Louise van der Pol (born September 23, 1984) is a Dutch-born American actress and singer. She is known for her theatre work, and for starring as Chelsea Daniels on the Disney Channel series ''That's So Raven'' (2003–2007) and its sp ...

– actress * Daniel Zolghadri - actor

Notes

References

External links

Orange County High School of the Arts

California Department of Education

* ttp://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/ca/11786 GreatSchools.net
A miracle? Orange County High School of the Arts turns 25
from the Orange County Register {{authority control Art schools in California Educational institutions established in 1987 Drama schools in the United States High schools in Santa Ana, California Charter schools in California Public high schools in California 1987 establishments in California