Demand for Orange County School of the Arts Exceeds 2,000 Applications

While Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) fights Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) attempts to close its school’s doors, OCSA today announced it has received more than 2,000 applications for the 2025-2026 school year.

OCSA, a highly ranked charter high school, has 461 available seats within its 17 conservatories for the 2025-2026 school year. This all-time demand high amounts to four OCSA applications for every available seat within the school, adding to the school’s ever-growing waitlist. During OCSA’s March 27 lottery livestream, more than 5,600 viewers tuned in. Public charter schools are required to hold an annual student lottery when the number of applicants exceeds a school’s available space, such as in OCSA’s case.

The 1,561 individual applicants hoping to enroll at OCSA during the 2025-2026 school year identified a maximum of two desired pre-professional arts conservatories of the school’s 17 options. The most in-demand conservatories were Visual Arts with 317 applications, Arts & Enterprise with 291 and Musical Theatre with 182.

Each year, OCSA receives ample student interest to partake in the school’s renowned arts and academic programming. In its latest round of applications, OCSA's newest program, the Arts & Enterprise Conservatory, received 11 applications for each available seat. Both the Musical Theatre Conservatory and Instrumental Music Conservatory’s Garn Family Jazz Studies Program received eight applications per available spot, and OCSA’s Visual Arts Conservatory received more than seven applications per open seat.

“For nearly four decades, OCSA has been committed to serving the needs of passionate artist-scholars, fostering a unique environment where students can flourish both academically and artistically,” OCSA President and CEO Teren Shaffer said. “We are deeply honored that so many students across the greater Southern California Area aspire to join our vibrant and welcoming school community.”

OCSA blends a rigorous academic curriculum with a world-class pre-professional arts program, culminating in a 99% graduation rate and a plethora of distinguished alumni. OCSA’s average student scores 1,310 on the SAT and earns a 3.3 GPA. Additionally, OCSA has earned national recognition as a GRAMMY Signature School, an Exemplary School by the Arts Schools Network (ASN) and a model arts education program by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education.

As OCSA celebrates its historical and recent success of academics, arts and overall demand, SAUSD is staring down declining enrollment. The district’s enrollment dropped by 4.9% between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, indicative of the district’s downward enrollment spiral since 2014.

To offset its financial losses from these declines, SAUSD has pursued relentless financial demands of $16 million for claimed services the district did not provide to OCSA. The district currently faces a deficit of more than $180 million, including nearly $3 million paid to the law firm it has used to attack OCSA.

During OCSA’s first two decades as a public charter school, SAUSD made more than $11 million off SAUSD with minimal services rendered and pocketed the remaining money. Years later, SAUSD is now attempting to wring an additional $16 million from OCSA in direct violation of OCSA and SAUSD’s original charter contract, which was in effect when the dispute originated. In March, hundreds of OCSA community members protested how SAUSD has prioritized its legal battle over Santa Ana students’ educational opportunities.

“Should the district continue to pursue its extortion effort against OCSA, a nearly $20 million debt would force our exceptional school— a haven for thousands of students annually— to seek bankruptcy protection, forcing OCSA to restructure,” said Shaffer. “SAUSD must stop grasping at straws and instead focus on supporting its students' desire for a quality education. OCSA continues to put forth efforts to settle with SAUSD in good faith and asks SAUSD to return to mediation.”

In early March, OCSA announced its plans to appeal following failed mediation with SAUSD despite OCSA’s good-faith efforts. The Second District of the California Court of Appeal is expected to hear oral arguments in early May.