A Brief History of the Arizona School for the Arts

Arizona School for the Arts was founded and developed by Mark S. Francis. The school was envisioned as a high achieving, academic school intended for students who wanted to work with professional artists as part of the core school experience. Knowing that t he arts world, let alone the world of entertainment, is highly selective, Dr. Francis wanted to insure that all students received a superior education.

The first formal meeting to discuss the possibility of ASA occurred between Mark Francis, ASA eventual founder and Executive Director, and Kee-juan Han, Arizona Ballet School Director, in November, 1994. Dr. Francis had subsequent discussions with Michael Uthoff, Ballet Arizona Artistic Director and Robert Alpaugh, the Arizona Theater Company Managing Director, both of whom wrote letter supporting the charter application. Michael Mitchell, Phoenix Theater Artistic Director; and Joan Squires, Phoenix Symphony General Manager helped in establishing arts faculty development.

Arizona School for the Arts was incorporated by as a private Arizona non-profit corporation on March 27, 1995. The founding governing board members were Bendy So, MD; Glen White, CPA; Philip Eaves, D.D.; and Robert Hoyt. The charter was officially granted on April 21, 1995. The school applied for tax exempt status from the IRS which was awarded on November 21, 1995.

In the first year, ASA had 155 students in grades 7 - 10. The school did not want to have a graduating class in its first two years of operation. That year, the full time faculty consisted of the Executive Director, Principal, and three academic teachers. The rest of the academic and arts faculty worked on a part time basis.

In its second year, ASA offered full-time contracts to its entire academic faculty and added a sixth grade. The junior class started working their way toward graduation and ASA implemented a college advisory program.

ASA's third year of operation brought continued recognition and its first graduating class. The school population swelled to 275 students. The school was recognized by the local press and national newspapers and magazines. US News and World Report recognized the school as a specialized education powerhouse.

By its fourth year, ASA graduates, lead by National Merit Finalist and Commendation winners, a Presidential Scholar, Phoenix Symphony guild contest and the first Arizona Community Foundation Arts Scholarship winner, were being accepted into top schools across the United States. Ballet students were accepted into international ballet programs.

In following years Readers Digest named ASA in its article: Schools that Succeed by Sen. Joe Lieberman and the school was recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top four schools in Arizona. ASA graduates continue to perform with nearly 90% going onto four year colleges and universities, many with substantial scholarships including another National Merit finalist in 2002 and others going directly into ballet companies.