CCSD school earns Arts Schools Network Exemplary School designation

Clark County School District School (CCSD) K.O. Knudson Academy of the Arts has been designated an Exemplary School in recognition of its commitment to excellence by the Arts Schools Network Board of Directors. The five-year designation is awarded for 2020-2025. 

“I am extremely proud that K.O. Knudson Academy of the Arts is being recognized as one of the top performing arts schools in the nation,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara. “The arts are an integral part of a student’s education and Knudson Academy of the Arts is a wonderful example of how the hard work of our teachers, support professionals and administrators make CCSD #1 For Kids as well as a national model for excellence in education including the arts.”

Since 1997, K.O. Knudson Academy of the Arts has offered its students a unique middle school experience, with access to rigorous academic instruction that infuses arts-integration. The K.O. experience provides opportunities for students to pursue multiple courses of artistic study to discover their passions. Through accelerated learning, support and encouragement – they foster an experience that makes the community demand an encore. It is the mission of K.O. Knudson Academy of the Arts to achieve academic excellence through the integration of the arts across the curriculum. Faculty and staff strive to create and maintain a safe and welcoming learning environment that empowers and challenges students to think critically, creatively and insightfully while developing their passion for the arts.

Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools, awards Exemplary School designations to members that follow A Guide to Assessing Your Arts School in strategically evaluating their school’s purpose, operations and educational programs. The Guide is a collaborative effort by ASN and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Pre-collegiate Arts Schools. Due to COVID-19 and the inability to host an in-person conference in 2020, ASN will honor the school at the Awards Breakfast hosted during the ASN 2021 Annual Conference, in Chicago, IL.

Dedicated to excellence and leadership in arts education, ASN, a non-profit association founded in 1981, provides arts school leaders, innovative partners and members of arts education institutions with quality resources, support and networking opportunities. Visit www.artsschoolsnetwork.org to learn more.

To learn more about the Clark County School District, visit ccsd.net.