Walnut Hill School for the Arts vs. Idyllwild Arts Academy
Should you attend Walnut Hill School for the Arts or Idyllwild Arts Academy? Visitors to our site frequently compare these two schools. Compare their rankings, scores, reviews and more to help you determine which school is the best choice for you.
School Overview
Top Rankings
Walnut Hill School for the Arts ranks among the top 10 schools with 200-400 students (out of 97 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Student Attention
Idyllwild Arts Academy ranks among the top 20 boarding schools (out of 277 schools) for:
Category
Attribute
Faculty Education
Overview
Founded in 1893, Walnut Hill School for the Arts is located in Natick, Massachusetts, within the Boston metropolitan area.
As one of the premier boarding and day schools in the United States, the School provides an immersive and intensive learning environment for talented arts students in Grades 9-12 and in Postgraduate Studies.
With areas of focus in Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Art, and Writing, Film, and Media Arts, combined with a comprehensive academic curriculum, students from around the world are able to hone their crafts and engage in transformative experiences with professional artists and instructors from Boston Ballet, the New England Conservatory of Music, and other major arts institutions.
Walnut Hill alumni include many internationally recognized actors of stage and screen, Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, and musicians and dancers at a number of the world's top performing arts institutions and ensembles.
An acclaimed international boarding arts high school in Southern California, where students (grades 9-12 & postgraduate) gain tools to leverage their own imagination to change themselves and the world around them. Idyllwild Arts Academy offers intensive, specialized arts training and challenging college-prep academics to talented young artists from around the world. On our idyllic mountaintop campus, students learn from a distinguished faculty of working professional artists.Graduates of Idyllwild Arts excel in every professional arts discipline, including Broadway theatre, primetime television, classical and jazz music, motion pictures, graphic design, dance, and more. Our arts majors include: MUSIC | VISUAL ARTS | THEATRE | CREATIVE WRITING | DANCE | FASHION DESIGN | FILM & DIGITAL MEDIA | INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS Outside of our regular school year, Idyllwild Arts offers summer workshops that include Jazz in the Pines, ESL, Native American Arts, and a full menu of Arts Intensives.
School Focus
Pre-professional Art
Pre-professional Art
Grades Offered
9-12, PG
9-12, PG
School Type
Co-ed
Co-ed
Year Founded
1893
1986
Campus Size
40 acres
205 acres
Students Body
Enrollment
250
280
% Students of Color
30%
27%
% International Students
30%
50%
% Students Boarding
70%
90%
Offers Post-Grad Year
Yes
Yes
Academics and Faculty
Saturday Classes
No
No
Frequency of Saturday Classes
Weekly
Weekly
Classroom Dress Code
Casual
Casual
Average Class Size
12
12
Student-Teacher Ratio
5:1
5:1
ESL Courses Offered
Yes
Yes
% Faculty with Advanced Degree
63%
90%
Summer Program Offered
Yes
Yes
Finances
Endowment Size
$19 million
$7 million
Tuition (Boarding Students)
$87,320
$77,500
Tuition (Day Students)
$68,525
n/a
Tuition (international students)
n/a
$79,500
Avg. Financial Aid Grant
$40,000
$30,000
Merit Scholarships Offered
n/a
$1
Admission
Application Deadline
Jan. 15 / rolling
None / Rolling
Accepts Standardized Application
Yes
Yes
SSAT Required
No
No
Acceptance Rate
62%
65%
Director of Admissions
Anthony Gault
Tara Sechrest
Associate Director of Admissions
n/a
Megan Berg
List of Courses Offered
Sport
Total Sports Offered
2
2
Sports
BalletDance
BalletDance
Extracurricular
Total Extra-curric.Total Extracurriculars
20
13
Extra-curric.Extracurriculars
Club or Organization:
Arts and Music Programs:
AgoniesAIDS Action Committee
Black and Hispanic Awareness (BHA)Environment Club
Foreign and American Student OrganizationGargoyle - yearbook
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
Gold Key ClubInternational Club
SADDStudent Government
Students Against Destructive DecisionsStudents of Color Group
The Blue PencilYearbook
Arts and Music Programs:
Campus PlayersJunior Singing Group (JSG)
MischordsMixed Nuts
Club or Organization:
Arts and Music Programs:
Activism ClubAsian Culture Club
Black Student UnionEnvironment Club
Gay Straight AllianceIndigenous Peoples Club
National Honor SocietyPrefects
School MagazineSoccer Club
Student Government
Arts and Music Programs:
Arts Enterprise LabArts in Society


