San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts

WORST SCHOOL EVER!!! I was a student at SCPA from 2000 to 2005. I had some really great teachers at the school but a majority of my experiences at that school can be described as nightmares. The bully problem at the school is out of control. I faced a lot of discrimination. I was continuously ignored. I got pulled out of the lunch line and had eight people cut in front of me. I had a kid through an orange at me. I had this teacher talk about how the school was performing really great because we had a lot of people with her matching skin color in it. There were students calling me names and even had the nerve to call me least popular. Not only was I a victim of this horrible cycle but other kids were in the mix as well. I have seen these kids try and force a boy into the women’s locker room and have heard kids call other children names such as chicken legs. This school may have a great education program but the seriously need to look at correcting all of their issues based around bullying and discrimination. I would never send my kids to that school.

Kim Abagat, a counselor at SCPA, is one of the finest, warmest, professional educator, my daughter and I have met.
My daughter went to SCPA a year ago and found the students and teachers very motivated (especially the creatively talented teachers), helpful and enthusiastic. We, my daughter and I specifically worked with Kim Abagat a wonderful and hard working, honest and warm. She is an asset of SCPA. She did an exceptional job for us during a challenging time and I can look back with confidence and declare «Kim Abagat is an asset to SDUSD!

I’ve been concerned about the math & science scores at SCPA, not the best compared to other middle and high schools in the National City and Paradise Hills area. The majority of the school population consists of female students, look at demographics. They need more male students. Also, who’s idea was it to start classes at 7:15am?! Good grief, so early! We used to have to wake up at 5:30am to walk out the door at 6:30am and be on the road to be on campus by 7am. Considering that Zamorano is a feeder school of SCPA and starts at 7:35, you’d think the district would consider starting classes at SCPA at 8am or so for the parents who still have other kids enrolled at Zamorano and the many students who commute from other areas of the county have ample time to be there on time, not having to wake up at the crack of dawn. After 6 yrs it wears on you. The district really needs to change the start time at SCPA, that would be my biggest complaint. If they did change the start time to a more reasonable hour, I believe their math & science scores would be higher. Parents need to complain, discuss this with SCPA Principal or District Superintendent.

If your student loves the arts — performing or otherwise, they must go here. This school is in the top 5 percent in the nation! With a dual curriculum, collegic and Juilliard, the school is phenomenal. the staff is wonderful and the teachers genuinely care. Students in grades 6 through 12 will find their passion here.

I and all four of my brothers graduated from this campus and it has made a tremendous impact on our lives. For our family, being alumni is like being in a fraternity. We made lifelong friendships, traveled the country, performed for celebrity audiences, and had celebrities visit US (who were all alumni, naturally). After graduation, it opened the door for new opportunities, while maintaining old ones. It was like college, before college. For the students that really applied themselves, it was the best resume one could ever build at that age. Personally, I didn’t know just how good we had it until I graduated and and found myself ahead of the curve in certain areas. One college professor jokingly asked why I had even enrolled in her class! The teachers at SCPA were like family, love ‘em or hate ‘em. The culture there was so diverse, you could hardly differentiate the «nerds» from the «cool kids», the lunchtime rappers from the jazz dance ensemble. SDSCPA is proof that the arts really do make a difference in the lives of students. It united us. It gave us culture. We were more the same than different. We shared ideas and helped others develop theirs. While some students complained about being «forced» to go there by their parents, I think it says a lot when you have people on waiting lists, having to audition to get into your school… I consider myself a «right brain», creative person, but I feel like I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to. I credit my experience at SCPA for nurturing that in me.

The campus is very nice, has a college feel. The office staff very friendly. My only concern about SCPA is that when I compared different middle schools and high schools in Southeast San Diego, Paradise Hils and South Bay, so many scored a lot higher than SCPA! I was schocked. Not always the API score, but specifically each academic area. I compared various schools with SCPA (last 5 yrs) and I was disapponited. SCPA has excellent English Language scores, but their chemistry, math, science, biology, physics and algebra scores were really bad compared to other SDUSD middle and high schools… Even Granger Junior High in National City has been scoring higher in Algebra than SCPA middle school students the last 2 – 3 yrs. I never know that until I researched each school.
So, yes, your child is getting exposure to the arts at SCPA (singing, performing, music etc…) quite a benefit, it’s the selling point of this school, but unless your child (or you) really expect your child to become a professional actor or musician, is it worth such low scores in all other academic areas?
Oh, just for info, someone posted earlier that SCPA has and edge over other schools in the district because its the ‘only’ school that has both a middle and high school at the same campus. That is untrue. Health Sciences Middle and Health Sciences High School are both on the same campus (excellent scores). O’Farrell Community School is a Kinder thru 12^th grade school. It has scored better in math and science than SCPA in recent years too (and as a Charter school has a rigorous academic curriculum compared to many public schools). Another is High Tech Middle School and High Tech High school in Point Loma… another school in the district that combines both a middle and high school on the same campus and has excellent scores… not to mention class sizes are smaller.

My Previous School, Class Of 2013!!! Nuff said.

An awesome school. The students are so talented. I attended performances and bravura to the students and faculty.

Both of my children attend SCPA and we couldn’t be happier. My daughter is an art major in HS and my son is in middle school in the orchestra. I toured at least 15 High Schools and Middle Schools and SCPA is unique in that it is the only school in the SDUSD that combines a Middle School and High School. By having them together there is great continuity for 8^th to 9^th grade. They already have friends in the upper grades by being in school productions and performances with them.
All kids have to audition to get into the high school so everyone there actually WANTS to be there which makes a huge difference. On top of that, SCPA graduates 99.5% of seniors which is at least 15−20% over the district average. There is no bullying or fights for being different… no cliques… just kids that love the arts and are motivated to do well. There are no High School sports so kids who want to play go to their area HS to participate in the sport while attending SCPA.
I started my kids in the arts in 4^th grade while they were still in elementary to prepare them to audition in 8^th so they would have a good chance to get in the high school. Many kids want to get in so there is a lottery for Middle School.
If your kids are artistically inclined… be it art, dance, musical instruments, vocal, or acting, this is the school for your kids.