Discover New Mexico’s premier tuition-free residential arts school, where students excel in dual academics and rigorous arts training for bright futures.
The New Mexico School for the Arts stands apart from other schools in New Mexico due to its transformative dual-curriculum and the remarkable success of its students and graduates.
NMSA students engage in college-preparatory academics and a rigorous, in-school arts education. NMSA is the only statewide, public, tuition-free residential high school in New Mexico. To better serve students from outside Santa Fe, NMSA offers a free on-site Residential Program, which includes a seven-day dorm option for students who live too far away to commute.
NMSA graduates attend prestigious institutions, including the Eastman School of Music, Johns Hopkins, New York University, Northwestern University, and the Pratt Institute. They are leaders in the fields of public health and science, contemporary dance, technical theater, and more.
Creative Growth and the Power of Arts Education
The dual approach of integrating academics and the arts nurtures creative and intellectual growth and is foundational to NMSA’s success. Research reveals that students studying the arts have improved critical thinking and collaboration skills and are more likely to graduate.
NMSA teaches and celebrates the following values:
- Resilience and Growth Mindset: Students embrace mistakes as learning opportunities and persist in the face of challenges.
- Collaboration and Conflict Resolution: The arts naturally cultivate teamwork and communication skills.
- Time Management and Self-Assessment: Students develop strong personal discipline and critical thinking abilities.
NMSA proves that students involved in the arts outperform their peers in academic settings.
In May, eighty-seven NMSA students walked the graduation stage. 100% of the 2025 class graduated and garnered over $10 million in scholarship/financial award offers from universities, colleges, and training programs nationwide, including Yale, Northern Arizona University, University of Vermont, NYU, University of Chicago, UNM, and CalArts.
Investing in New Mexico’s Future
NMSA develops the talent and passion of young artists who can use their voice, creativity, and artistic training to pursue any path they choose in life.
This mission is supported by a community of generous donors through the New Mexico School for the Arts–Art Institute, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit. NMSA’s in-school arts education programs are funded entirely by individual donors and grants.
Gifts to the NMSA–Art Institute are an investment in emerging artists. Every donation, regardless of size, matters—and ensures that New Mexico’s youth artist-scholars have access to the tools, support, and inspiration they need to imagine and create a better future.
Learn more about supporting art education in New Mexico on NMSA–Art Institute’s website.
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