New World School of the Arts also has an top high school program with the same art programs listing above. The principal is Ellery Brown. High school students are only accepted through auditions or art porfolios reviews during the months of January through March of each year, and are notified of their acceptance status in April. Students are taught by teachers employed by the Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) system for their basic core curriculum, as well as many of the same adjunct professors for their arts programs as in the conservatory program. Students graduate with a high school diploma, as well with 30 dual enrollment arts credits awarded from Miami Dade College. Many of these students who continue their art in college usually enter as second-year students, as all of the credits are easily transferable, especially through the State University System of Florida, which UF is a member. The governing bodies of the high school are UF, MDC, and MDCPS.
High School History
New World opened its doors to high school students in grades 10-12 in August 1987. It was the successor to P.A.V.A.C. (Performing and Visual Arts Center), a magnet school program for high school students, under the direction of Richard A. Klein, the former principal of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts at New York City's Lincoln Center from 1969 to 1987, of which New World is modeled after. Because of this, New World has the distinction of also being known as the Fame School of the South.
Much like the school today, all of its classes were held in different buildlings in downtown Miami when the school opened, including the main building of MDC-Wolfson campus, as well as a few downtown churches within walking distance. The school's current main building (a former AT&T communications department building) was first used for the 1990/1991 school year, as an electrical fire destroyed the school's administration headquarters. The main building (the 5000 Building) houses most of the high school academic classes there, as well as both the high school and college adminstration units, dance studios, theaters, and art studios. The MDC Wolfson Main building (the 1000 Building; located at 300 NE 2nd Avenue) houses some science facilities. All music classes are held across the street from the MDC Wolfson Building at the aptly named Music Building (the 4000 Building; also houses MDC's Alumni Association, located at 401 NE 2nd Avenue).
New World's mascot, the Fightin' Pigeon, first appeared in the final issue of the 1987/1988 school year of the school's original underground newspaper, the Casting Couch, which circulates the school once a year, usually near the end of the school year.
