Five NYC Arts High Schools Beyond LaGuardia for 2027

Fall 2027 calendar

Put three official dates on the family calendar.

NYCPS says the application opens October 6, 2026, and closes December 4, 2026. Offers are scheduled for March 3, 2027. NYCPS also warns that dates may change.

How the application works

The program code and the audition are two separate jobs.

All five schools in this guide use the main high-school application. A family lists each desired program code in true preference order. The arts work then goes through the audition process.

NYCPS currently says every audition program accepts virtual work through MySchools. Some programs also offer an in-person option. NYCPS says both formats are evaluated equally. Always confirm the option for the exact program code.

When two programs use the same arts discipline, a student can reuse the common submission. That does not add the programs to the main application. Each code still needs its own place on the list.

Audition programs rank applicants by the audition, with any published priority groups applied as well. NYCPS recommends at least 12 programs in true preference order. It also advises a mix of admissions methods.

Five schools at a glance

Match the student to the model before comparing reputations.

“Current format” means the option visible on September 1, 2026. It is not a promise for Fall 2027. Reconfirm it in MySchools after the application opens.

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts

For the student who wants the whole school to speak arts.

Frank Sinatra has six Grade 9 audition programs: Fine Arts Q40J, Film and Media Q40F, Dance Q40M, Drama Q40N, Instrumental Music Q40K, and Vocal Music Q40L.

Drama is a four-year sequence that includes acting, voice, theater history, directing, script analysis, playwriting, and Shakespeare. The school describes performance opportunities in every grade.

Dance centers ballet and modern work, with tap, jazz, and other workshops. The curriculum also names choreography, history, criticism, and anatomy.

The current Fine Arts page shows two to two-and-a-half studio periods across its four-year sequence. The first years show two and a half periods. Later years show two or two and a half. Film applicants currently submit an original story of no more than 500 words, a nine-frame storyboard, and an introduction of no more than three minutes.

The NYCPS audition page currently marks all six programs virtual only. The school admissions page still shows dates from the 2025 application cycle. Use that page to understand the school, not to plan a 2027 deadline.

Professional Performing Arts School

For the student drawn to partner-led training.

PPAS has four Grade 9 audition programs: Dance M81N, Drama M81J, Musical Theater M81H, and Classical Vocal M81K. Its model depends on professional arts partners, not only school-based departments.

Dance works with The Ailey School. Classical Vocal works with the National Chorale. Rosie’s Theater Kids supports Drama and Musical Theater, and Evolution Arts is the Film partner. PPAS says students receive at least two arts periods each day.

Partner classes happen both in the building and at nearby partner sites. That makes location part of the daily schedule, not just an admissions detail. Ask who supervises movement between sites and how often rehearsals continue after school. The school musical is open to high school students. PPAS notes that some rehearsals happen after the school day.

The current NYCPS page lists the initial audition as virtual only. PPAS says callbacks may happen in person. Its FAQ also describes support for approved professional work through an educational consultant.

Talent Unlimited High School

For the student who wants a focused performing-arts studio.

Talent Unlimited offers Dance M42L, Drama M42N, Instrumental Music M42P, Musical Theater M42J, and Vocal Music M42K. The NYCPS audition page currently lists virtual and in-person options.

Dance has three periods each day. Drama includes daily acting and movement. Musical Theater follows a four-year sequence that ends with a student-created senior showcase.

Vocal students take part in main-stage work across four years and a fully staged senior opera. Instrumental students may practice before school, after school, or at lunch.

The school admissions page still shows older November and December dates. Do not use those dates for Fall 2027. Use the page to understand the studios, then confirm the live audition option in MySchools.

High School of Art and Design

For the artist who also wants a career-facing program.

Art and Design has four application codes and eight majors. Commercial Art M60P includes cartooning, illustration, and fashion. The other codes are Architecture M60N, Film and Video M60Q, and Digital Arts M60R.

Digital Arts includes graphic design, animation, and digital photography. The school says students may apply to as many as four codes. It also tells applicants to choose one arts-discipline category for the portfolio. The codes and portfolio categories are not a simple one-to-one map, so read each live code closely.

This is a Career and Technical Education model. School materials describe industry certifications, technical assessments, portfolio review, and work-based learning. The 2025–26 handbook names about 1,500 students and tracks 54 required internship or work-based learning hours.

Ask when students select the exact major within a code. Also ask whether they can change it, and what a switch means for the CTE sequence. Confirm certification options, supply costs, the 54-hour requirement, and any portfolio pieces beyond the common submission.

Edward R. Murrow High School

For the artist who also wants a large comprehensive school.

Murrow has four audition programs: Vocal Music K57J, Instrumental Music K57L, Fine and Visual Art K57K, and Studio Theater K57P. The current NYCPS page lists virtual-only auditions.

The Art Institute describes itself as a small, close-knit four-year community inside a large school. It names working artists, museum experiences, internships, and apprenticeships.

The Music Institute leads to a Chancellor’s Endorsed Arts diploma. It offers broad ensemble and travel opportunities. Studio Theater is a straight-acting audition: the school says a song is not adjudicated.

Murrow also stages schoolwide musicals twice a year, with casting and production roles open to all students. Non-audition options include dance, technical theater, and music technology. Those choices are valuable, but they are not the four admission codes.

The school admissions page still shows an earlier cycle. Confirm every 2027 detail in MySchools. Ask how an institute creates community inside a large school and how arts classes fit beside AP courses.

Commute and access

Try the trip at the time rehearsals actually end.

An arts-school commute may not end at 3 p.m. Visit the building, then test the evening trip home. Ask where rehearsals, partner classes, and performances happen before judging the schedule.

A building label does not answer every access question. Families should ask whether audition, rehearsal, performance, and partner spaces are accessible for the student’s needs. Ask about IEP and 504 audition accommodations early too.

Build a balanced list

Rank programs the student would truly attend.

An audition program is not safer because it feels less famous. The result still depends on an audition and any published priorities. Do not fill the main list with arts programs alone unless that is a deliberate choice.

NYCPS recommends at least 12 programs in true preference order and a mix of admissions methods. Include schools a student would attend even without an arts offer. Then keep LaGuardia and the SHSAT paths separate on the family checklist.

Rank the studio, not only the school. A student who wants Murrow’s Music Institute may not want another Murrow program. A student drawn to PPAS Film should understand that it is not a ninth-grade MySchools option.