This school is the best-kept secret in the Denver Public School system. You have to get in, but once you are in, it is more of a collection of excellent private teachers than a high school. Class sizes are small to very small and the faculty truly cares about their students. My kid enjoys near one-on-one time with every one of her teachers and it shows in her grades. Further, because of this focus, DSA continues to break out academically, sending students to National-level events for History Day, Debate, and other competitions. The class content is excellent-many kids get 5's and 4's on their AP exams (mine got two 5's and a 4 before she was 15) and is indicative of the college-prep focus the school delivers. Because everyone that is there wants to be there, the student experience is unlike any other. There is no hazing or disruptive classroom behavior that distracts from learning and the environment is insulating and nurturing. My daughter is a Creative Writing major, and as such, has written every form of genre ranging from critical essays to a novel. She is more well-spoken than I am (maybe she should have written this review LOL) and is more prepared for college than I ever was. We all want better for our kids...if your child has an interest in the arts, or an interest in writing like my daughter does, or an interest in doing well in school, you absolutely MUST check out Denver School of the Arts. I love it and...
   Read moreI was a stagecraft major. My major stole my work when I had a mental shutdown and didnât go to school for a couple weeks. Right at dress rehearsal, after cleaning, organizing, graphing, and researching for hours on end, my set teacher emailed me stating that I was pulled from production and would not be given any credit for my work. Their mental health department is a joke. Last year they all quit or moved on before the first semester ended. I ended up dropping out not even a quarter into my senior year. I was put into two online AP courses without my knowledge. My family had to pay for them plus a textbook. Over $340 well spent on nothing. I really thought this school was great at first, but it slowly got worse. However, most of the non-major teachers were actually really nice and helpful when I was there. Though most of them left, too.
The teachers of nearly every major I met FOR SURE had wickedly unchecked favoritism. The amount of work is ridiculous; 80 hours of after school work after school per ONE semester if I remember correctly. Staying and constantly working with no breaks (and being yelled at if you are doing nothing whilst on the clock) PLUS homework from every class was just unfair for me.
TLDR hours of work stolen, nearly nonexistent mental health department with uncaring counseling staff, tricked into AP classes and wasted over $340, dropped...
   Read moreI am currently a 11th grade student attending DSA in the Stagecraft and Design department in my third year. Let me first just say, this school is amazing! I remember when I had my audition for the 2011- 2012 school and I just prayed every night to go here instead of George or East. The atmosphere is amazing, you just walk down the hall and you will see vocal majors singing, dancers practicing, and you will always hear gorgeous music coming from talented students. Also, the Tech department is incredible! Love everyone there and for the first time in my entire life, I feel like I belong here. The only thing you should know about is the academics, I didn't prepare like I should have and my grades did suffer a little from my ignorance. But overall, the best school...
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