Professional Performing Arts School
engagement + empathy + equity = excellenceIt is the special mission of this small, personalized public school to develop, refine, and showcase students in dance, drama, musical theater, vocal and instrumental music while providing them with a comprehensive and rigorous academic curriculum. Admission requires a performance-based audition designed and judged by the individual performing arts departments.
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History of PPAS
Located in the heart of the theater district in Manhattan, Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) was created in 1990 to meet the needs of two groups of students – those demonstrating a strong talent and passion for the performing arts and those who were pursuing professional work in the arts. We serve grades 6-12 with 581 students total.
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Professional Partnerships
Guided by values of engagement, empathy and equity, PPAS offers students a unique opportunity to pursue a rigorous academic curriculum as they study the arts in a professional environment. A wide range of performing arts courses are taught by professional artists who offer training to meet the needs of the beginning student and the professional actor, singer, musician or dancer.
Musical Theater • Drama • Dance • Classical Vocal
Cultural/Art Organizations
The Ailey School, The National Chorale, Ballet Tech, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theater,
Manhattan Youth Ballet, Waterwell Theatre, Rosie’s Theater Kids, and Juilliard
Higher Education Institutions
Eligible students have the opportunity to take college-level coursework during their junior and senior year at
through the College Now program at John Jay College – credits and grades are submitted separately.
The Ailey School, The National Chorale, Ballet Tech, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theater,
Manhattan Youth Ballet, Waterwell Theatre, Rosie’s Theater Kids, and Juilliard
Higher Education Institutions
Eligible students have the opportunity to take college-level coursework during their junior and senior year at
through the College Now program at John Jay College – credits and grades are submitted separately.
DIVERSE STUDENT BODY:
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Curriculum and Courses
Acknowledging the needs for students to prepare for wider opportunities than any single profession may offer, PPAS offers an academically challenging, college preparatory course of study centered upon an interdisciplinary, multicultural, inquiry-based approach to learning.
Predicting the statewide trend towards a Regents curriculum, all students at PPAS have always been required to take a full load of challenging Regents level courses. In order to graduate, they must pass 5 NY State Regents exam requirements, earning a 65 or above on a Math, Science, ELA, US History, and Global Studies exam. Graduation standards for students with IEPs are modified.
PPAS offers AP Literature, AP Language, AP Calculus, AP US History, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. The GPA is weighted for AP courses only – the number grade is multiplied by a factor of 1.1 and calculated as that in the overall GPA. PLEASE BE AWARE that because of our limited staffing, most students can only fit 2 Advanced Placement courses in their schedule per year.
We offer multiple sections of Spanish year 2 and Spanish year 3 and some students receive high school Foreign Language credit through a proficiency exam taken in 8th grade. Students with high GPA standing are approached to join the National Honor Society either junior or senior year.
A longer school day provides students with academic classes in the morning and performing arts classes in the afternoon. Collaboration with On Location Education, a PPAS teacher coordinator and an on-site tutor, allows students who are in performance to maintain a consistent academic program.
Predicting the statewide trend towards a Regents curriculum, all students at PPAS have always been required to take a full load of challenging Regents level courses. In order to graduate, they must pass 5 NY State Regents exam requirements, earning a 65 or above on a Math, Science, ELA, US History, and Global Studies exam. Graduation standards for students with IEPs are modified.
PPAS offers AP Literature, AP Language, AP Calculus, AP US History, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. The GPA is weighted for AP courses only – the number grade is multiplied by a factor of 1.1 and calculated as that in the overall GPA. PLEASE BE AWARE that because of our limited staffing, most students can only fit 2 Advanced Placement courses in their schedule per year.
We offer multiple sections of Spanish year 2 and Spanish year 3 and some students receive high school Foreign Language credit through a proficiency exam taken in 8th grade. Students with high GPA standing are approached to join the National Honor Society either junior or senior year.
A longer school day provides students with academic classes in the morning and performing arts classes in the afternoon. Collaboration with On Location Education, a PPAS teacher coordinator and an on-site tutor, allows students who are in performance to maintain a consistent academic program.
College Readiness Statistics:
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2019 Graduates of PPAS went to a wide variety of conservatories, colleges and universities including:
American University of Paris, Arizona State, Baruch, Brooklyn College (CUNY), BMCC, City College (CUNY), George Mason, Georgetown, Hunter College (CUNY), Ithaca, Kingsborough (CUNY), Le Moyne, Manhattan School of Music, Marymount Manhattan, Morgan State, The New School, NYU, Oberlin, Pace, Penn State, Princeton, Purdue, Rider, Sarah Lawrence, St. Johns, SUNY Albany, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Purchase, SUNY Stony Brook, Syracuse, Temple, Towson, University of the Arts, University of Arizona, University of Colorado, University of Delaware, University of Florida, University of Hawaii, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Western Connecticut State University, Yale
American University of Paris, Arizona State, Baruch, Brooklyn College (CUNY), BMCC, City College (CUNY), George Mason, Georgetown, Hunter College (CUNY), Ithaca, Kingsborough (CUNY), Le Moyne, Manhattan School of Music, Marymount Manhattan, Morgan State, The New School, NYU, Oberlin, Pace, Penn State, Princeton, Purdue, Rider, Sarah Lawrence, St. Johns, SUNY Albany, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Purchase, SUNY Stony Brook, Syracuse, Temple, Towson, University of the Arts, University of Arizona, University of Colorado, University of Delaware, University of Florida, University of Hawaii, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Western Connecticut State University, Yale