Our arts programs may hog the spotlight, but make no mistake: our academics really run the show. We are a Pennsylvania-certified high school, offering students everything they need to fulfill state requirements to graduate, and pursue college or the career of their choice.
Our core academics include English, social studies, science, math, and world languages, instructed by PA-certified teachers. Across all subjects, highlights of our academic offerings include:
Throughout their high school career, students can choose accelerated coursework in literature, history, algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, and chemistry. Our demand for Advanced Placement classes is growing, and currently includes:
Our students are able to grow academically, while studying topics they enjoy. Financial Literacy as a math offering… Zoology/Biological Anthropology or Technology for science. Traditional gym class? We don’t even have it, instead offering Yoga, Fitness, Taekwondo and even Acro & Tumbling.
Students are scheduled for four, 80-minute periods everyday. Two academic classes take up two of these blocks, or half of the day. Electives, dominated by arts, comprise the other half. Students have different schedules for each semester. See a typical schedule.
Academic classes empower students to choose how they learn through a mix of teacher-led lecture periods, and hands-on exploratory flex periods. To maximize student engagement, teachers create activities to extend formal lessons. These activities may require independent study and reflection, peer to peer discussion or small group work, and happen during each class’s built-in flex periods.
Each student at Westinghouse Arts is provided with a laptop, powered by Google Chrome. Computers become integral to core academic subjects, and with good reason. When examining the impact of laptop programs on students’ academic achievement, researchers find significantly positive average effect sizes in English, writing, mathematics, and science.
The first year of high school marks a huge transition, and many students need extra support to succeed in a new environment. Our new freshman classes receive help to adjust to high school, improve study habits, develop stronger interpersonal skills, and get ready for a successful four years of growth and learning
Admission to Westinghouse Arts Academy is offered to students who successfully audition for one of our six arts focus areas. If you’re interested in audition and enrollment information, sign up to learn more about the process, schedule a tour or shadow day, and secure an evaluation date to audition. Or, support our programs with a financial gift.
