Tacoma School of the Arts

I think Tacoma School of the Arts is an well organized school. Its great and I lice it here.. it has great art patential.
--Submitted by a student

I am a parent of a SOTA senior. I am sad that my son will be graduating this year because the experience we have had with this school the past three years has been the best! My daughter plans to attend SOTA in 2014. I wish my daughter could skip over 8th and 9th grade at University Place Schools and go directly to SOTA or a school like it. UP has definitely gone downhill.
--Submitted by a parent

It's very forward thinking, the teachers and staff show respect and care for their students, the school is innovative and quick to make changes when something isn't working.
--Submitted by a parent

Reading over the other reviews all the way back to 2003..I agree with every single one of them! Our son is currently a Junior and SOTA truly is the "best thing that ever happened to him". He really IS happy to go to school everyday. He loves his teachers, he's now engaged in subjects that he had previously struggled in, and we feel like he is blossoming into this amazing adult before our eyes. Unlike most public high schools, parent involvement is encouraged and welcomed. My husband and I have tried to stay involved (through volunteering) and we have seen first hand the creative, supportive, respectful, engaging, fun, challenging, inspiring, amazing environment this school has created for the students, staff, parents and its surrounding community. I say all the time (and hear it from so many other parents).. "I WISH THEY HAD A SCHOOL LIKE THIS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER!"
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is now a senior at SOTA. What else can i say but AWESOME!!!! This school is the best thing that happened to my child, the teachers and staff are so kind and compasionate, they really truely care about the students this is just not a job to them. I don't know what it is but they seem to know how to communicate with the teenagers. I feel blessed to have a school like this for my child to attend.
--Submitted by a parent

My son graduated in '09 and I am so thankful that he received his education from SOTA. Their forum-based curriculum has prepared him well for a small, highly selective liberal arts college, and he is destined to become an academic, thanks to the exemplary role models that exist throughout the SOTA staff. I have no doubts my son will continue to work toward his PhD - a goal he set while at SOTA. His experience there resulted in developing a great respect for high quality, creative, and engaged educators. I am in awe of the level of staff engagement, as well as the personal responsibility that is instilled in the students. There's nothing more fulfilling than watching your child transform into a wonderful, well-adjusted human being. Every school should be like SOTA.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a student at Tacoma School of the Arts. She had no problem 'fitting in' and achieving at the traditional high school. However, TSOTA offers so much more. The basics that are needed for high school are taught, but the basics are done in a way that integrates creativity and encourages thinking and individual responsibility and accountability. In addition they get fabulous extras in the arts and community service that build them up as people and individuals, again, encouraging the students to discover who they are and what they stand for. Community is emphasized as well. It is a very well rounded excellent college preparatory school. And the family support is excellent as well.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a student at this wonderful school. She is a bit quirky and has never really fit into the 'normal' school environment (academic nor social). When we first walked into TSOTA for a parent information night, my daughter suddenly fit. Nearly every student there had their own quirkiness and individual personality. The teachers and staff were just as eccentric as the kids. The overall impression was that they were their to find a way for our kids to succeed in their education and not fit their individuality into neat little molds. A wonderful school.
--Submitted by a parent

This is the most amazing school I have ever been to. I've found friends and a community that supports me and I can support as well. Don't ever, ever be talking bad about SOTA until you actually get to know the kids and what we do here.
--Submitted by a student

I graduated from this school in 2008. I am now going to college. TSOTA is more then just a school; it is a community that challenges its student to be more intellectual, caring and creative. Other than learning about core subjects, I also learned what it means to be a good person. It's the best environment for any child to grow up in. I miss it so much!
--Submitted by a student