Integrated Arts Academy

IAA is truly life saving for students and their families. Their innovative ways of developing curriculum that meets state standards and also offers a different structure for kids who want to thrive outside of a typical high school setting is magic. What a treasure to have it be one of the public high schools within Eastern Carver County Schools!!

My child has thrived in the environment at IAA. The teachers and principal are incredibly supportive, and the project-based curriculum suits students who have struggled in the traditional school setting. I'm not sure what I would have done for my learner without this excellent option.

Integrated Arts Academy: Integrated Arts Academy (IAA) is a public high school founded on research linking academic success to the arts and hands-on learning experiences. Our curriculum embeds culinary, horticulture and visual arts into core subjects, such as English, math, science, and social studies. The rich arts-integrated instruction, small class size, and strong community partnerships offer students a true personalized high school education. We pride ourselves on our welcoming, inclusive, school climate. As part of Eastern Carver County Schools, we are a sister high school to Chaska (CHS) and Chanhassen (CNS). All three high schools have the same requirements to graduate per the ECCS Board of Education. The difference is at IAA, we are completely a project-based learning environment. Students earn credit by demonstrating mastery of standards through their project completion. We use an online program called Headrush, where students upload evidence of their learning and final projects. We have a daily schedule of five class periods, WIN and advisory. We also have field trips every Wednesday afternoon as part of the IAA learning experience, which students are required to participate in. Students may elect to participate in the Exploring Art group, Exploring Hort, or our advanced culinary program Prostart. At times, we also may offer a specialized Wednesday PM class depending on student interest. Students earn elective credit for attending Wednesday PM class, and participating in the planned activities. Students also may earn Personal Wellness credit during Advisory through i-time lessons. IAA is a smaller school structure, with 7.5 teachers, two paraprofessionals, one counselor, one social worker, and one administrator. Staff tend to know our students very well, as classes are typically 20 students or less (per MDE guidance). IAA students may choose to take courses at Southwest Metro, CHS or CNS as part of their daily schedule. Students may also be eligible to enroll in PSEO courses or participate in our work experience program. When students graduate, they will receive their diploma from their home high school. If a student is from outside the district, Chaska is listed as their home high school. IAA students may choose to walk in the IAA graduation ceremony, and/or their home high school of CHS or CNS. IAA students remain eligible to participate in athletics and activities at their home high school as well.

We are in our second year at IAA. My sophomore was not doing well in a traditional school environment. The difference in going to this school has been incredible for us. The staff are so engaged, it’s a much smaller environment, they get to get out on field trips every week, and there is so much support for mental health.

This school is ahead of its time. Very innovative and an incredible staff. Wonderful school. I would recommend it to anyone who wants their child to get a great education and be prepared for the real world outside of school. I wish all high schools would adopt this type of teaching.