At a Glance
Brooklyn's most selective audition arts high school — and one of its calmest
Best suited for
Creative, audition-ready Brooklyn teens who want serious arts training woven into a structured public high school — especially families who prioritize racial and economic diversity, a calm discipline climate, and a transit-accessible location over living within walking distance of campus.
Overall Rating
Rating = average of 4-year graduation, English Regents college-ready and Regents completion · DOE 2025 report
Bands are Motley's thresholds on a 0–100 scale, not New York State performance levels.
How this is scored→What stands out
- Audition-based admissions with single-digit-to-mid-20s offer rates across all five arts tracks — Visual Arts at 14.3% and Dance at 12.5% are the most selective
- Zero suspensions in a district where the average rate is about 0.28%
- 100/100 program richness — more than 60 clubs and electives spanning Tri-M Music Honor Society, Thespian Society, Robotics, The Moth storytelling, and a Gender & Sexuality Alliance
- Teacher-reported instruction quality of 92% sits three points above the district average of 89%
Things to consider
- Family survey response rate is just 21%, so parent-voice data should be read with that caveat in mind
- PTA fundraising totals about $43 per student, well below the district average of $491 — expect fewer paid enrichment extras
- The audition is the gate — there is no standard application path here
- Most students commute in from outside the immediate neighborhood, so the local social scene lives elsewhere
- Class size of 25 lands slightly above the district average of about 25
Based on 2024-25 data
School SummaryDistrict 15
District 15's peer schools on file are predominantly elementary and middle schools, making this high school something of an outlier in a district better known for its K-8 programs. As one of the only audition arts high schools in the borough, it fills a niche with no direct in-district competitor — though families will find the peer landscape is K-8, not high school.
Academics
The school pairs an AP course program with deep arts coursework and ELL support, while class sizes run about 25 — essentially the district average of about 25. The 100/100 program richness score reflects both the depth of arts training and the academic scaffolding wrapped around it. With five distinct audition tracks feeding into a single high school, students build their identities around a chosen discipline from day one.
Culture
The climate numbers are strong across the board. Teacher-reported instruction quality sits at 92% — three points above the district average of 89% — and both parent-teacher and parent-principal trust land at 93%. Teacher collegial trust and teacher-principal trust, at 92% and 93% respectively, suggest a staff that functions as a team. The standout climate signal is zero suspensions in a district where the average rate is about 0.28% — a remarkable discipline profile. Parent satisfaction comes in at 89%, four points below the district average of 93%, though a 21% family survey response rate means that number should be read with a caveat.
Community
Eighty-one percent of students identify as Black or Hispanic, with 8% White, 5% Asian, and smaller shares of multiracial and Native American students, putting the diversity index at 63%. Seventeen percent of students have IEPs, and an economic need index of 59.9 reflects a student body drawn largely from households with fewer resources than the $150,272 median income of the surrounding neighborhood. That contrast — a high-need, majority-Black-and-Hispanic student body inside one of Brooklyn's wealthiest census tracts — is the defining feature of the school's social reality.
Neighborhood
The school sits in Downtown Brooklyn-DUMBO-Boerum Hill, one of Brooklyn's wealthier census tracts. Median household income tops $150,000, and 73% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Just 15% of households have children, signaling a neighborhood populated mostly by young professionals and couples rather than families. Roughly a quarter of homes are owner-occupied, and the median home value is approximately $1.46 million.
The Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr transit hub is essentially at the front door — the D, N, and R lines are about a 2-minute walk, the 2, 3, 4, and 5 lines about 3 minutes, and the B and Q about 4 minutes. Practically every subway line serving Brooklyn and Manhattan is within a few blocks.
Survey Results
NYC School Survey (2025) · 182 families responded (21% rate)
Programs & Activities
Admissions Demand
The Visual Arts Studio is a rigorous four year curriculum that develops the student's technical abilities, critical-thinking skills and personal voice. Students have received honors like the Scholastic Art Awards, exhibition awards at the MOMA, admission to pre-college programs at local schools and scholarships for college. Courses include Foundational Art, Advanced Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Advanced Gallery, and Senior Portfolio Preparation, as well as Digital Art and Design.
Students pursue a rigorous program of solo and ensemble playing as well as studying basic music theory and music history. Students have the opportunity to work closely with top professional musicians in the New York scene through our various partnerships. Classical, contemporary and "pop" literature, as well as world music, is studied and performed. Offerings include String Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Guitar, and Digital Music, as well as Music Theory and Composition courses.
The studio offers dance students the opportunity to develop skills in professional venues with professional teaching artists. Students gain performance skills and understanding of the techniques of Lester Horton and Martha Graham. Students develop their talents in classical ballet, contemporary and modern dance.Technique classes include ballet, modern, and jazz. Two years of specialty classes in choreography, composition, pointe, college portfolio, and audition classes are offered as well.
The Vocal Studio is an intensive study of music theory, vocal production and performance, and utilizes a repertoire that includes classical, jazz, gospel, contemporary, and folk. We offer multiple levels of choir, exploring all styles from traditional choral greats to pop music of today. Choirs perform regularly at professional venues throughout New York City. The Select Choir studies and performs NYSSMA level five or six pieces, and participates annually in the NYSSMA competition.
The studio provides theater students with rigorous, differentiated and sequential high quality theater training in order to reach their full potential in college and careers in theater and other fields. Daily classes are provided by professional theater artists. Students have the opportunity to explore a vast spectrum of theater work, including acting, voice and diction, movement, theater history, set design, directing and creating original work. Students perform on Broadway stages citywide.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
NYC DOE InfoHub · 2022-23
PTA Fundraising
Source: DOE Local Law 171 disclosure
Discipline
NYSED Student & Educator Database
Economic Need & Special Populations
How to get in, step by step
High school (9th grade)
High school is one citywide application, made in 8th grade. Brooklyn High School of the Arts admits through 5 programs, and each one has its own admissions method:
- ArtAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required81 seats
- DanceAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- DramaAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Instrumental MusicAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
- Vocal MusicAuditionVirtual or in personAudition required
High school application
- Opened
- Tue, Oct 6
- Closes
- Fri, Dec 4
- Offers
- Wed, Mar 3
The DOE’s published dates.
- 1Apply on MySchools during the high school application, in 8th grade.
- 2Audition programs need a booked audition or portfolio on top of the application — book the slot through MySchools, and prepare what each studio asks for.
- 3Rank programs in true preference order — the match places your child in the highest-ranked one that offers a seat.
Open houses and tours
We haven’t seen open-house dates for this school yet.
From the MySchools admissions calendar, checked weekly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Brooklyn High School of the Arts a good school?
- On Motley, Brooklyn High School of the Arts earns an overall rating of 74/100 — the average of the school's four-year graduation rate, the share of its students scoring college-ready (70+) on the English Regents, and its Regents completion rate, shown out of 100.
- What grades does Brooklyn High School of the Arts serve?
- Brooklyn High School of the Arts serves grades 9 to 12.
- How do students get into Brooklyn High School of the Arts?
- Brooklyn High School of the Arts admits by audition — applicants are judged on a performance, portfolio, or talent area.
- Is Brooklyn High School of the Arts public, charter, or private?
- Brooklyn High School of the Arts is a public school in NYC Community School District 15.
- What neighborhood is Brooklyn High School of the Arts in?
- Brooklyn High School of the Arts is in Downtown Brooklyn-DUMBO-Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.