The Beacon Down The Street

Whenever Santa Ana and art are mentioned in the same sentence a certain school comes up. While the district swirls down the rabbit hole, a partner right down the street flourishes with art excellence. I’m talking about OCHSA (Orange County High School of the Arts). OCHSA represents the model and aspiration of a diverse education. Structurally, the school operates tuition free through federal funding and private donations. The school hosts 1,300 of the most promising art students in Orange County to participate in their conservatory program that covers many diverse majors including: film, dance, and art. OCHSA boasts an amazing high school to college rate of 99 percent. The school focuses on breading open-minded and out-of-the-box thinkers in a creative and nurturing environment. The school is a perfect model of a colorful education. It’s too bad that this quality of education is limited to a tiny number of students. Meanwhile the district around the school can barely sustain a band. Here are some comparisons for you... to drive home the idea a little eh?

-OCHSA has more AP classes than Santa Ana has music teachers.

-While OCHSA has 1,350 students, Santa Ana has about 3,000 students per music teacher (what a ratio!).

-OSCHA’s total budget is five times the amount of the music budget for all of Santa Ana Unified. (55,000 students versus 1,350).

What I am noting is the division between the privileged students and the rest of the lot. We need to focus on closing this gap, offering a diverse and prosperous education to everyone who is willing to seize the opportunity. C’mon.

Check Out The OCHSA website!