Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts

🎒 BACK-TO-SCHOOL SCPA REMINDERS

Open House & Orientations
Monday, August 17

Please check the email address registered in Focus for detailed information about Open House and orientations.

🔔 First Day of School
Wednesday, August 19, 2026

⏰ NEW SCPA START TIMES

Grades 7–12
8:25 a.m.–3:09 p.m.

Grades K–6
9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

We look forward to welcoming our SCPA students and families back for another creative and inspiring school year!

🎉 Please join us in welcoming Ms. Makinen as SCPA’s Interim Principal! Ms. Makinen is excited to partner with our students, staff, and families and celebrate the creativity, talent, and spirit that make SCPA so special.

Meet Ms. Makinen at SCPA’s Open House on Monday, August 17!

Learn more about Ms. Makinen: https://scpa.cps-k12.org/about/principal

Welcome to SCPA, Ms. Makinen!🏫

🏫 Join us for the SCPA Open House & Orientations!

📅 Monday, August 17
⏰ 6–8 PM

Visit classrooms, tour the school, and attend welcome orientations as we prepare for an exciting new school year. We look forward to welcoming our SCPA families! 🎭🎨🎶

📚 SCPA Families: Please Note Our Updated School Start Times!

To support state and district requirements and ensure all instructional time expectations are met, SCPA has adjusted school start and end times for the 2026–27 school year. Please review the updated schedule below.

Grades 7–12
⏰ School Day: 8:25 AM – 3:09 PM
🚪 Security Check-In Begins: 7:55 AM
📍 Arrival Reminder: Students must be seated and ready to learn by 8:25 AM. Students who are not in their first-period class at that time will receive a tardy slip.

Grades K–6
⏰ School Day: 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
🚪 Building Opens: 9:00 AM
📍 Arrival Reminder: Students may not be dropped off before 9:00 AM.

🗓️ First Day of School: Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Thank you for helping us start each school day safely, smoothly, and on time! 🎓✨

🚧 Traffic Alert for SCPA Families and Staff 🚧

Please be aware that a Duke Energy vault construction project at the intersection of Race Street and 12th Street near Washington Park is scheduled to begin on August 4 and is expected to continue for at least 10 weeks.

This project may affect traffic patterns, parking availability, and pedestrian routes during student drop-off and pick-up times.

We encourage all students, families, staff, and visitors to:
• Allow extra travel time.
• Watch for temporary traffic changes and detours.
• Use caution when traveling near the construction area.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as this work is completed. We will share additional updates if they become available.

We're proud to celebrate a 100% pass rate on the 2026 AP Music Theory Exam, an incredible accomplishment on one of the College Board's most rigorous assessments!

The AP Music Theory exam challenges students with advanced written analysis, sight singing, harmonic analysis, melodic dictation, and ear-training skills developed over an entire year of intensive study. Nationally, fewer than 60% of students earn a passing score (3 or higher). This year, every single SCPA student passed.

🎼 40% earned a 5
🎼 40% earned a 4
🎼 20% earned a 3

Congratulations to our outstanding students for their hard work, discipline, and musical excellence. We also extend our sincere congratulations to AP Music Theory teacher Elise Schowalter, whose exceptional instruction, dedication, and passion for music education helped make this achievement possible.

We are incredibly proud of our students and faculty. Bravo! 👏

Greta and Malia in their pas de deux class with CCM student and alum, Antonio

📣 Shout-out to SCPA Dance major alum Nick, better known as “Primo Thee Ballerino,” who originated the role of Tumblebrutus in the critically acclaimed Broadway production Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

What a fierce performance at the Tony Awards on Sunday!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZTpJoCNdRs/

SCPA dancers are taking full advantage of our amazing partnership with CCM this summer!

Day 2 of summer dance session is going 💪!

Can you spot the alumni?

It’s so powerful to have sophomores and juniors studying at OSU and CCM come together to take class, they say it’s like coming home 🏠.