SCHOOL OVERVIEW
New York City Charter School of the Arts (City School of the Arts or CSA) is the only public, non-screened, arts-based middle school in Manhattan. The mission of CSA is: To inspire a diverse community of young people to engage with the arts as a pathway to rich and rigorous academic scholarship and a creative, purposeful life.
We received approval for our charter on October 15, 2015 and opened in September 2016, initially serving students in 6th grade. CSA reached our chartered grade span in 2018-19, serving Grades 6–8. Our facility is located in Manhattan’s Financial District, at 75 New Street, 12th Floor, in Community School District (CSD) 2. In 2021, our school was renewed for a five-year term ending in 2025-26.
CSA was originally intended to be a middle-school option for families in Lower Manhattan, where the majority of high-quality, public middle-school programs have screened admissions. However, CSA immediately drew interest from families beyond Lower Manhattan and has evolved to be a true Citywide program. CSA has become a vital school choice for families across the City interested in a public, arts- based middle school program, open to all learners without portfolio or audition requirements. Our broad reach is facilitated by our location in the Financial District, which is a Citywide transportation hub: there are over 10 subway stops within close distance (between 4 and 8 minutes walking time) from our building. This allows families from across all five boroughs access to our program.
In 2022-23, the demographic breakdown of this enrollment was:
63% economically disadvantaged;
29% students with disabilities (SWD);
5% English language learners (including former English language learners); and
11% homeless or in foster care
CSA’s five key design elements are grouped into three themes:
Create
Arts-Integrated Curriculum;
Grade-Level Artistic Concentrations;
Learn
Arts and Support for All Learners;
Professional Learning Community; and
Thrive
Focus on the Whole Child
Our Create, Learn, and Thrive programs, and their associated design elements, provide a rigorous, standards-aligned arts and academic education, accompanied with a comprehensive social-emotional advisory curriculum and additional support for the needs of our diverse population of students. Our Learn program not only focuses on the academic growth of each child, but also applies to our Professional Learning Community and the support we provide our teachers to implement our programs with fidelity. Finally, to support our “Thrive” value, we prioritize the social and emotional needs of our diverse population through the KDE: A Focus on the Whole Child.