How safe is the school, really?
Based on the Academy’s pages and news reports, Interlochen describes current safeguards and also has two serious matters on the record. It lists gated and monitored vehicle entrances, ID-controlled entry to Academy living areas and a 24/7 campus safety operation. On July 28, 2026 it published a 97-page external investigation of sexual-misconduct reports from the 1950s to the 2010s, and a September 2026 lawsuit by the family of a 14-year-old first-year student makes allegations from 2024–25 that the Academy denies.
| Source | What it shows | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Safety at Interlochen (the Academy) | “All vehicle entrances to the Interlochen campus are gated and monitored.” Academy living areas require an ID that electronically controls entry; staff undergo multiple background checks; faculty, staff, volunteers and trustees are trained annually on mandatory reporting; partnerships with Grand River Solutions and ATIXA (Title IX) and Safe Havens International (campus safety reviews) | Page undated |
| Historical investigation (the Academy) | An external report by Sanghavi Law Office covers 47 accused individuals, 17 of them deceased, and “none are currently employed by Interlochen”; the page says there were “very few reported incidents of abuse in the past 25 years” and the president writes that Interlochen is “deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community” | July 28, 2026 |
| Bridge Michigan and Interlochen Public Radio | About 70 instances of sexual misconduct from the 1950s to the 2010s, found in 180 interviews over two years; names of living accused given to the Grand Traverse County prosecutor; two alumni reported sexual contact with Jeffrey Epstein, a donor from 1990 to 2003 | July 28, 2026 |
| 9and10 News | A lawsuit by the family of a 14-year-old alleges the Academy failed to protect her from assault by a suitemate and from a teacher’s conduct and closed her complaint without an investigation; the Academy says “the events simply did not occur as alleged” | September 17, 2026 |
We found no incident counts, discipline data, annual security report or residential supervision ratios, so safety cannot be set against other schools on figures. The Academy says the investigators “did not make a credibility determination or investigate each individual report”, and the lawsuit’s allegations are unproven and denied. The investigation covers the 1950s to the 2010s and the Academy says very few incidents were reported in the past 25 years; the lawsuit concerns 2024–25. A family should ask how a student raises a concern today, who is told, and how boarding houses are supervised at night.
What's the true total cost, including fees — and how has it moved over the last few years?
Interlochen Arts Academy lists 2027–28 tuition of $84,000 for boarding students and $47,500 for day students, up from $76,500 and $43,275 on its 2024–25 page, a rise of about 9.8% in three years. The tuition page adds books of about $600 and arts-major expenses of $200–700, which with tuition gives our sum of $84,800–$85,300 for boarding and $48,300–$48,800 for day, before a required Apple laptop whose cost the page says varies.
| Year and source | Boarding | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–25, earlier Academy page | $76,500 | $43,275 |
| 2026–27, Boarding School Review | $81,200 | $45,930 |
| 2027–28, Academy tuition page | $84,000 | $47,500 |
The sums are ours, not figures the Academy publishes, and the page does not give a year for each fee. It also lists $15 per ride from Cherry Capital Airport, a $7,500 fee for first-year 12th-grade and postgraduate students, an $800 international student fee, international health insurance of $2,595 (10 months) or $2,895 (12 months), and a $7,400 English language fee where required; the earlier page listed $12, $5,000, $770 and $7,200 for the same items. We have not seen the 2025–26 or 2026–27 Academy schedules, so the middle year is a third party’s.
How qualified and stable are the teachers?
Based on Boarding School Review, 87% of Interlochen Arts Academy faculty hold advanced degrees and the student–teacher ratio is 6:1, with an average class of 11. The Academy’s Math and Science page names ten instructors with their subjects and titles; stability is not measured, because we found no turnover or tenure figure.
| Source | What it shows | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding School Review | 87% of faculty with advanced degrees; student–teacher ratio 6:1; average class size 11 | 2026–27 |
| Academy Math and Science page | Eric Blackburn, Dean of Academic and Interdisciplinary Learning, and nine instructors: five of mathematics, one of science and math, and three of biology, chemistry and ecology | Read October 2026 |
| Niche | Teachers graded A; 357 reviews averaging 4.44 of 5 | 2026 |
| Academy news | Seven new teachers, arts instructors and artists in residence joined the Academy faculty; the four it names teach writing and music | September 24, 2025 |
The advanced-degree share is a third party’s, and the Academy’s own Academics page gives two class sizes, 15 and 11. Niche’s grade comes from reader reviews, which are opinion and not measurement. The Academy does not say how many of its faculty teach mathematics and science or how many left last year; a family should ask for average tenure and last year’s departures.
Are scholarships or financial aid available, and what share of students receive them?
Yes. The Academy’s tuition page says 87% of students receive merit scholarships and financial aid and that about $20 million in aid is awarded each year; its applications for aid open on September 1, 2026, with an Early Action deadline of November 15, 2026 and a Regular Decision deadline of January 15, 2027. The Clarity aid application carries a $65 submission fee.
| Source | Share receiving aid | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Academy tuition page, 2027–28 | 87% (merit scholarships and aid) | About $20 million a year |
| Earlier Academy page, 2023–24 | 81% | Nearly $17 million |
| Niche, 2026 | 84% | Average aid $36,977 |
| Academy Give page, 2025 | Not stated | $23.2 million to 2,327 Camp and Academy students |
The four figures do not agree, and they measure different things: the first combines merit and need-based aid, the last covers the summer camp as well as the Academy, and Niche’s average is across recipients. An individual family’s award depends on its own finances, so a family should ask the Admission and Financial Aid office for a figure for the Academy alone.
How strong is this school in AI, data science and computer science compared with other schools?
Based on our review, AI & data science and computer science both grade at Level 2 of 5 (2.0/5, Weak). Both rest on one elective, Advanced Math: Logic and Programming, which covers the foundations of machine learning and AI’s core technologies, teaches programming tools and ends in an instructor-led group project applying AI to the discipline of the student’s choice.
| Field | Grade | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| AI & data science | 2.0/5 | The Logic and Programming elective, with Probability and Statistics and AP Statistics beside it; no second AI course, AI club or competition entry found |
| Computer science | 2.0/5 | The same elective as the only programming course; no computer science sequence, AP Computer Science, club or competition found |
One course supports both grades, so a student who does not take it meets neither field in class. We found no enrolment figure for it and the Academy does not say how often it runs. We have not set Interlochen beside another named school here; the grades can be set beside any other school’s on this platform.
Do students get access to advanced coursework, specialist electives and serious competitions?
Based on the Academy’s course pages, yes for advanced coursework and no for competitions. Students can take AP Calculus (AB) and AP Statistics with Interlochen faculty, Indiana University: Advanced Biology for university credit, and two one-semester advanced chemistry courses; the Academy says students can also choose from dozens of other AP courses online. We found no STEM competition entry, such as FIRST, Science Olympiad or CyberPatriot, for the Academy.
| Strand | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Placement | AP Calculus (prepares for the AB exam) and AP Statistics with Interlochen faculty; “dozens of other AP courses” online | Academy math page; Academy story, November 1, 2024 |
| University credit | Indiana University: Advanced Biology carries Indiana University credit and expects high school biology, chemistry and Algebra II; dual enrollment is offered through Indiana University | Academy science page; Academy story |
| Specialist electives | Advanced Math: Logic and Programming; Advanced Chemistry: Atoms and Advanced Chemistry: Reactions, one-semester advanced-level courses | Academy math and science pages |
| Competitions | None found for the sciences, mathematics or computing | Our searches for FIRST, Science Olympiad and CyberPatriot |
The Academy’s Math and Science page does not list courses, so we read them from the individual course pages. Its online AP courses are taught by a partner, and we did not see how many students take them. The absence of a competition record is not proof that students never enter one; it means we found none. A family should ask how many students reach the highest course in each subject.
Are students producing serious projects, research, inventions or portfolios—or mainly completing classroom exercises?
Based on public records, students make serious projects, mostly arts-led and often with a technology or science link, and we found no STEM research or invention record. Students made the feature documentary Grounded, about regenerative farming, over about three years and it premiered at the RiverRun International Film Festival in April 2026; for the March 2026 Imagine US tour with three major orchestras a 25-student company made animation, a projection installation, costume and film.
| Strand | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Film | Grounded, an 80-minute documentary co-directed by Claire Hannah Collins and Nathan Buck, with students Emma Niu and Sadie Schoenfelder as co-producers; about 12 to 13 students worked on it in class; it premiered at RiverRun and has screened at the Charlotte Film Festival, and 9and10 News says it was to screen at Hell’s Half Mile and the Fresh Coast Film Festival | RiverRun listing; 9and10 News, September 25, 2026 |
| Performance design | Twenty-five students from all seven Academy divisions made multidisciplinary works for the tour, and students from the Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Music Production & Engineering and Animation divisions made more, among them a wearable costume, a leather garment, ceramics, an installation combining images, fibres, beadwork and projection, a film and animation | Academy Beyond the Performance page |
| Tour coverage | Hoodline says the Detroit concert “layers live performance with student-generated visual and written work”, with the orchestras of Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston on the tour | Hoodline, March 6, 2026 |
The documentary was made with faculty, guest artists and a foundation partner, and the sources do not say who the co-directors are at the Academy. We found no count of student projects, no science-fair, journal or patent record, and no portfolio requirement, so these are examples, not a measure of how many students do this work.
Which future-critical STEM fields is this school genuinely strong in—and which ones are major gaps?
Based on our review, none of the ten fields reaches Level 3. AI & data science, robotics, computer science and Earth systems are the furthest developed at Weak (2.0/5); clean energy, aerospace and biotechnology show exposure only (1.0/5); and cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and battery storage are the major gaps, where we found nothing (0.0/5).
| Field | Score | Standing |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data Science | 2.0/5 | Weak |
| Robotics & Autonomous Systems | 2.0/5 | Weak |
| Computer Science & Computational Thinking | 2.0/5 | Weak |
| Earth Systems & Geospatial | 2.0/5 | Weak |
| Clean Energy & Climate Technology | 1.0/5 | Weak |
| Aerospace & Space Technology | 1.0/5 | Weak |
| Biotechnology & Synthetic Biology | 1.0/5 | Weak |
| Cybersecurity & Digital Safety | 0.0/5 | Weak |
| Advanced Manufacturing | 0.0/5 | Weak |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | 0.0/5 | Weak |
Will your child be ready for jobs that don’t exist yet?
Here’s what the evidence actually shows for Interlochen Arts Academy — not what the brochure claims.
35/100 — Weak overall. Interlochen’s furthest developed provision is a machine-learning elective, a listed student robotics club and a pair of natural-science electives: students take Advanced Math: Logic and Programming, which covers machine-learning models and AI’s core technologies and ends in a group project applying AI to the discipline of their choice, study Ecology and Regenerative Agricultural Science with the Botanical Lab’s aquaponics system and compost program, and sit AP Calculus, AP Statistics and Indiana University courses on campus.
But: cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and battery storage are absent, and no field reaches a structured curriculum.
Best positioned forNone
Underdeveloped inCybersecurity, Advanced Manufacturing, Batteries
Future-critical exposure0/15 domains
Very strong
- None
Strong
- None
Limited
- None
Little / no pathway
- AI & Data
- Cybersecurity
- Robotics
- Clean Energy
- Computer Science
- Earth & Geospatial
- Aerospace
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Batteries
- Biotechnology
Less ideal for
Where the marketing exceeds the evidence
No laboratory equipment list identified.
Where the school is stronger than its marketing suggests
No enrolment figure found for these courses.
Curriculum
- Advanced Math: Logic and Programming: the foundations of machine learning and different applications of machine-learning models, AI’s core technologies including applications, foundational concepts and programming tools, and an instructor-led group project applying AI to the discipline of the student’s choice (Academy mathematics course page)
- Advanced Math: Probability and Statistics, in which students work with data and develop observational studies and experiments, and AP Statistics, which follows the Advanced Placement topics in preparation for the May exam
What’s missing
- No second AI or data-science course, AI club, competition entry or student AI project found
- No enrolment figure for the elective, and the Academy’s pages do not say how often it runs
- Graded Level 2, a single elective with statistics provision beside it
What’s missing
- No cybersecurity course, club, competition entry or credential found on the Academy’s course, clubs or academics pages, and none in searches for it
- The Academy’s campus-safety and safeguarding pages describe the Academy’s own security and are not student learning
- Graded Level 0, searched for and nothing found
Activity
- The Student Clubs page lists a Robotics Engineering Club among its “examples of recent clubs and organizations”; clubs are student-led, vary by year with student interest, and are announced in Provost News when formed
What’s missing
- No description, meeting record, build or competition entry for the club found, and searches for FIRST teams found none for the Academy
- No robotics or engineering course found; the science and mathematics course lists contain none
- Graded Level 2, a club, with low evidence confidence because the page lists recent examples and does not show the club running
Exposure
- Regenerative Agricultural Science returns throughout the course to the nitrogen cycle, composting, aquaponics, land and water conservation and climate change
- The sustainability page sets a Climate Action Plan 2028, states that 2/3 of the Academy’s electrical energy needs come from renewable energy for a minimum of 10 years, shows solar panels at the Botanical Lab and reports that 50+ high school students earned science credit in sustainable agriculture
What’s missing
- No energy-systems, solar, wind or storage course, club or student energy project found; the plan and the renewable-energy figure describe the Academy’s operations
- Graded Level 1, exposure; the course is graded under Earth systems and its climate content is counted here only as exposure
Curriculum
- Biology, Anatomy and Physiology (a one-semester study of how organ systems maintain homeostasis), Forensic Science, and Indiana University: Advanced Biology, which carries university credit and expects high school biology, chemistry and Algebra II (Academy science course page)
What’s missing
- No biotechnology, genetics, bioinformatics or laboratory-techniques course, research project, club or competition found
- Graded Level 1, biology provision without a biotechnology strand
Creativity cannot be graded the way a course can. It can only be evidenced through what students made.
| Criterion | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art + technology | ||||
| Design | ||||
| Architecture | ||||
| Engineering design | ||||
| Media / digital production | ||||
| Maker learning | ||||
| Interdisciplinary projects |
One strand runs for three years or more; the other is a single year. 2026 is the densest, at 4 of 7 criteria.
The record — 2 artefacts
Arts Academy students made Grounded alongside faculty and guest artists, with the Greenacres Foundation as funder and partner: an 80-minute film about a group of boarding-school students trying to make a film about regenerative farming. Students Emma Niu and Sadie Schoenfelder are co-producers, composers are credited as Interlochen Arts Students, and the project took about three years. It had its world premiere at the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem in April 2026 and has screened at the Charlotte Film Festival; 9and10 News says it was to screen at Hell’s Half Mile and the Fresh Coast Film Festival.
RiverRun International Film Festival listing, April 2026 · 9and10news, September 25, 2026 · Greenacres Foundation, April 17, 2026
For the March 2026 tour with the Detroit Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony, a 25-student company drawn from all seven Academy divisions made multidisciplinary works performed with the orchestras: a wearable costume and a leather garment, ceramics, an installation combining images, fibres, beadwork and projection, a film, animation and creative writing.
Hoodline, March 6, 2026 · Shore Fire Media tour release, March 24, 2026 · interlochen.org/imagine
Nothing found for
No student work was found evidencing these. For a school this well documented, an unrecorded programme is unlikely to be a large one.
What a family should ask about directly
- Cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and batteries have no record at all, AI rests on one elective, and robotics rests on a club listed as a recent example. Ask which STEM electives and clubs run this year, and whether the Robotics Engineering Club has met.
- The Math and Science page promises “well-equipped laboratory facilities”, and no equipment list was found. Ask what the chemistry, physics and biology laboratories hold, and where a student would use a computer, circuit or fabrication tool.
- On campus the Academy teaches two AP courses, Calculus AB and Statistics, and Indiana University courses in English, history and advanced sciences; its other AP options run online through a partner. Ask how an online AP course fits an artist’s timetable and who supports it.
- The Academy’s Academics page gives two class sizes, “15 students is the avg. class size” and “an average class size of 11”. Ask which applies to mathematics and science sections.
- Safety history belongs in a family’s questions. On July 28, 2026 the Academy published a 97-page external investigation of abuse reports from the 1950s to the 2010s, and a federal lawsuit filed in September 2026 alleges that the Academy failed to protect a 14-year-old first-year student from assault in 2024–25, which the Academy says did not occur as alleged. Ask how reports are made and handled today and who a student can go to.
- The aid figures differ between sources: the Academy’s tuition page gives 87% of students and about $20 million a year, an earlier Academy page 81% and nearly $17 million, Niche 84%, and its Give page $23.2 million for Camp and Academy together. Ask for the current figures for the Academy alone.
| Domain | Evidence class | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Data | School-reported | Academy mathematics course pages for Advanced Math: Logic and Programming, Probability and Statistics and AP Statistics; no AI club, competition or project record found |
| Computer Science | School-reported | The same Logic and Programming course page, which teaches programming tools; no computer science course sequence, AP Computer Science, club or competition record found |
| Robotics | School-reported | Academy Student Clubs page listing a Robotics Engineering Club among recent examples; no description, team or competition record found |
| Biotechnology | School-reported | Academy science course pages for Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Forensic Science and Indiana University: Advanced Biology; no biotechnology record found |
| Clean Energy | School-reported | Regenerative Agricultural Science course page; Academy sustainability page (Climate Action Plan 2028, renewable-energy share, solar panels at the Botanical Lab); no energy course or project record found |
| Aerospace | School-reported | Astronomy appears in the Academy’s printed profile and not on the science course page; no course description, club or competition record found |
| Earth & Geospatial | School-reported | Ecology and Regenerative Agricultural Science course pages and the sustainability page (Botanical Lab, aquaponics, composting); no geospatial or remote-sensing record found |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, laboratory, club or competition record found |
| Cybersecurity | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, club, competition or credential record found |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Unsubstantiated | No coursework, laboratory, club or competition record found |
Academics
Rigorous academics for creative minds.
We prepare students to excel in college and beyond. Our curriculum emphasizes experiential learning whenever possible, and our small classes let instructors tailor their approach to individual students and learning styles. Here is how our academics read, and some of our advanced courses.
Interlochen Arts Academy
Every student needs at least 22 credits to graduate, and at least 10 of them must be academic courses: English (4 credits), social science (2), math (2 years) and science (1 year).
- Each student spends four hours per day immersed in their chosen artform
- Mathematics from Algebra I to AP Calculus and AP Statistics, with electives in financial literacy, probability and statistics, and logic and programming
- Science from Biology, Chemistry and Physics to electives in ecology, regenerative agricultural science, anatomy and physiology, forensic science and advanced chemistry
- Arts, math, and science are intimately intertwined
- College credit through on-campus AP courses and Indiana University
- An Academic Center for Enrichment for assisted study and tutoring
Advanced courses
Ask about academics
Calendar
What is coming up, soonest first.
These are the dates we have published for the 2026–27 school year in our Academic Calendar, together with our application deadlines from our tuition and financial aid page. Ask below if you need a date confirmed before you plan around it.
October
November
December
January
March
May
Ask about the calendar
Our Story
To ignite lifelong passion for the arts.
Our mission is to engage and inspire people worldwide through excellence in educational, artistic, and cultural programs. Interlochen is the destination for young artists where they transform passion and potential into purpose. Our core values guide us, and our timeline tells how we got here.
Just An Idea...
We celebrate our history of generating and realizing groundbreaking ideas in the arts, education, and leadership.
Drawn Here
We recognize the engaged community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, patrons, and supporters who advance the arts.
The Artist’s Journey
We are committed to supporting artists at every step from potential to mastery.
Solo e Tutti
We balance individuality and collaboration, drawing on the musical terms for “alone” and “everyone.”
Milestones
The National High School Orchestra and Band Camp opens on June 24 with 115 campers.
Interlochen Arts Academy, the country’s first independent fine arts boarding high school, opens with 132 students.
Camp and Academy are united as one institution, Interlochen Center for the Arts.
The Motion Picture Arts is added as a new arts discipline; it becomes Film & New Media in 2020.
The Academy celebrates its 50th anniversary.
We receive a $4 million gift from the Dow Foundation, the largest single gift in our history.
140 Arts Academy students travel to New York City for MUKTI, and we partner with the Ohio-based Greenacres Foundation.
Christian Trimmingham is selected as our 51st Presidential Scholar.
Ask about our story
Give
An investment in the life of an emerging artist.
A gift to Interlochen is more than a donation: it’s an investment in the life of an emerging artist.
Interlochen Annual Fund
The Annual Fund supports student scholarships and program resources like guest artists and performance costumes. Learn more.
Named Annual Scholarships
Recurring gifts create scholarships awarded each year. Learn more.
Endowed Scholarships
Long-term funding supports students for generations. Learn more.
Strategic Initiatives
Targeted gifts support priorities such as student financial need, visiting artists, touring, and emergency aid. Learn more.
Planned Giving
Estate-planning options support future students. Learn more.
Talk to us
Call our Office of Philanthropy on 231.276.7623 or write to philanthropy@interlochen.org.
Ask about giving
News
What is happening at Interlochen.
Recent stories from our own pages, newest first: our ranking, our investigation, our new faculty and our Scholastic awards.
Named #1 Best Private High School for the Arts in America
Niche has named us the #1 Best Private High School for the Arts in America in its 2027 Best Schools rankings, the second consecutive year we have held this spot. Niche awarded us an A+ in Academics, College Prep, Clubs and Activities, and Diversity, and an A for Teachers.
We publish an independent investigation
We published the findings of an independent investigation by Sanghavi Law Office into reports of sexual misconduct at Interlochen. The investigation began in the summer of 2024 after alumni concerns came to light, and the investigators conducted nearly 180 interviews over two years. The report includes allegations against 47 individuals, 17 of whom are deceased; none are currently employed by Interlochen. President Trey Devey writes: “On behalf of Interlochen, we are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community.”
Seven new faculty join the Arts Academy
Seven new teachers, arts instructors, and artists in residence joined the ranks of Interlochen Arts Academy faculty for 2025–26, among them Megan Rivkin, Writer in Residence; Timothy Jones, Instructor of Singer-Songwriter; Katia Waxman, Instructor of Clarinet; and Bryan Christian, Wind Symphony Conductor.
Arts Academy students excel in the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Seventy-seven Interlochen Arts Academy students from six of our artistic divisions received a total of 255 awards in the 2025 regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Ask about the news
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