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About Us

The SAUSD Arts Department makes sure every student, from elementary through high school, has the chance to learn through visual art, music, theatre, dance, and media arts. We believe the arts are an important part of learning, they help students read, write, and think in new ways. The arts also support English Learners and students with special needs, helping all students grow as creative thinkers and problem solvers. Our goal is to help every student become a world-ready scholar who can think creatively, communicate clearly, and adapt to new challenges,  even if they don’t choose a career in the arts.

Our ART Approach

We use the ART approach to guide everything we do:

  • Access — making sure every student has arts opportunities at school.
  • Responsiveness — meeting students where they are and helping them grow.
  • Transformative — using the arts to change how students learn and see the world.

We build arts learning through three stages:

  • Exposure — introducing students to many art forms in the early grades.
  • Enrichment — giving students deeper arts experiences through classes and events.
  • Entrenchment — offering advanced study, performances, and creative projects.

Why Arts Education Matters

The arts do more than inspire creativity, they build skills that students use in every subject and future career.

In California, the creative economy is a big part of our state’s success. Reports show that more than 760,000 people work in creative jobs, and together these industries add hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy each year. These jobs depend on skills like imagination, teamwork, problem solving, and communication, all skills students learn through the arts.

Research also shows that arts education improves reading and writing, increases student engagement, and supports the learning of English Learners and students with disabilities. When schools include the arts in daily learning, students perform better and feel more connected to school.

By connecting arts with academics, SAUSD Arts gives all students the chance to explore, create, and achieve, preparing them to succeed in school, work, and life.