South Orange County School Of The Arts

The South Orange County School of the Arts (SOCSA) housed at Dana Hills High School, is a visual and performing arts academy for students within the Capistrano Unified School District who have special interests and potential for creativity. Founded in 1996, SOCSA provides students with intensive training in the arts through a diverse art curriculum, offering comprehensive study in the visual arts, dance, musical theatre, acting, directing, television production and script writing, theatre history, art history, graphic and commercial art, vocal and instrumental music, and communications. Students receive individual and group attention from a faculty who have broad artistic competencies and expertise, including guest lecturers, performers, and designers. SOCSA also utilizes the varied and considerable resources of the cities encompassing South Orange County.
A variety of curricular paths within SOCSA are explored within our arts courses to help identify the various career and lifelong learning possibilities for our students.

SOCSA has an enrollment of over 400 students. Dana Hills High School has received two commendations as a State California Distinguished School and a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has recognized SOCSA at Dana Hills High School as a 2016 “Best Community for Music Education”. The excellence of the SOCSA program has greatly contributed toward the success of Dana Hills in receiving these awards.

Our Vision

Recognizing that artistic students often have unique learning styles and specific kinds of intelligences which are often not addressed in traditional educational settings, SOCSA will endeavor to provide a well-rounded, multi-disciplinary approach to educating artistically gifted students so that they will not only develop their skills and creativity, but are prepared to continue their studies at an institution of higher learning, or enter the work force with relevant, marketable skills, upon graduation. Students throughout the entire school will develop healthy minds and spirits through their exposure to the work produced or performed by SOCSA students.

Mission Statement

The mission of SOCSA is to provide an in-depth educational opportunity to those students who have chosen fine arts as their first occupation objective. SOCSA will respond to that objective by providing a dynamic and creative environment in which students will be involved in thinking and meaning centered classes with rigorous curricula, which integrate academic disciplines and artistic vocational learning. Course sequences with career themes will be implemented to afford students the chance to explore and develop their artistic talents, to understand the opportunities available to them, to have mentor and work experience, and to develop employability transcripts that will set them apart from the crowd.

There are an array of parent involvement opportunities within this program. We love our parents! We welcome your participation in your students arts education.