The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) evolved in 1971 from a realization that gifted young artists need highly specialized and rigorous training in the arts to be prepared for the intense competition they will meet in colleges, conservatories, and the professional arts world. The creation of HSPVA represented the first attempt by any public high school in the nation to correlate an academic program with concentrated training in the arts. 

HSPVA has one of the highest number of Presidential Scholars in the Arts in the nation. By cultivating both artistic and academic excellence in a diverse environment, HSPVA builds the confidence and enthusiasm required for an accomplished creative future.