About Academy
The Performing Arts Academy is a full-time high school that is geared toward students who wish to excel in the Performing Arts. This specialized high school program was developed specifically for the young artist-in-training.
The school offers intense studies in theater, dance, vocal music and, NEW for 2016, audio engineering has been added as a fourth discipline. Courses include concentration in technical theater, acting techniques, musical theatre, dialect coaching, directing, ballet technique, modern technique, jazz technique, choreography, music theory, vocal technique and physiology, song preparation, microphone technology, live sound, Pro Tools industry-standard software, and hands-on studio performance and arts history (music, dance, theater, audio engineering), along with all of the academic requirements for a high school diploma. The students will be encouraged to continue their education in the arts after graduation, but will also be given the tools and resources to audition for professional companies.
Students interested in a competitive and challenging environment must complete the necessary application process, which includes an entrance exam and audition (applicants will be contacted with specific information regarding the exam and audition). Students interested in this high school should contact their middle school guidance counselor for further application information, as well as attend an information session.
PAA Quick Facts
Type of School: Public
Grades Included: 9-12
Total Enrollment: 281 (as of September 2016)
CEEB Code: 310683
PAA Mission
The Mission of the Performing Arts Academy is to provide an academically challenging education for creatively gifted high school students. Enhanced performing arts training will empower graduates with the practical skills for higher education and/or a professional career in the arts. Our unique teaching philosophy strives to incorporate the arts into all educational areas by integrating curriculum and by interaction with professionals from the arts industry.
Academy Background
The Performing Arts Academy (PAA) is a four-year comprehensive public high school administered by the Ocean County Vocational Technical School. It is part of the OCVTS Lakehurst Center located at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL). The Academy opened in September, 2001 for students entering the ninth grade. The Academy is designed to provide performing arts curricula focused in dance, voice, theater and audio technology along with a rigorous college-preparatory academic program. The school exists to provide a unique, nurturing and challenging learning environment for students living in Ocean County who are gifted in the performing arts.
Located in Lakehurst, New Jersey, the Performing Arts Academy is centrally located to the south of New York City, north of Atlantic City and east of Philadelphia.
The Ocean County Vocational Technical School District is responsible for recruitment, admissions, and the instructional program. There are over 23,000 high school students enrolled in Ocean County public schools. The Performing Arts Academy is a competitive, specialized high school that select its 9th grade class each year from applicants found within the public and private schools of Ocean County. All students apply and participate in a selective admissions process that considers middle school grades, standardized test scores, an admissions test, and an audition in a specified discipline.
