Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, New Haven

Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School is New Haven Connecticut's arts magnet in the middle of a transformation: a free public school at 150 Kimberly Avenue in The Hill that has trained middle schoolers in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts for decades, and is now growing into a full arts and design academy with its own high school grades. If you are exploring living in New Haven with a creative kid, this is one of the city's most talked-about enrollment stories right now, and the best part is that admission runs through a fair citywide lottery, not an audition and not your address.

Betsy Ross is the arts school that outgrew itself: a longtime New Haven middle school magnet now adding high school grades one year at a time.

The Arts Are the Whole Point

Students at Betsy Ross study the four core arts, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, at an advanced level, with certified classroom teachers alongside working professional artists. The dance program alone spans modern, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and tap, and the school day treats performance and studio time as seriously as academics. The new high school wing adds arts and design tracks in animation and special effects, performance art, and art technology, which means a kid who loves both the stage and the screen can keep both alive through graduation.

A School Becoming Something Bigger

Here is the big news for families: Betsy Ross is in the middle of a real expansion. In 2024 the district launched the Betsy Ross Arts and Design Academy, BRADA for short, and in fall 2025 the school welcomed its first-ever 9th grade class. For the 2026-27 cycle, New Haven's magnet school listings show grades 7 through 10, with the academy adding another grade each year. A family moving to New Haven Connecticut right now could enroll a child in the very first high school classes the building has ever held.

Deep Arts Roots in The Hill

Betsy Ross's arts legacy runs deeper than most people realize. Its families were so eager to extend their children's arts training past middle school that their push helped lead New Haven to found Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in 1980, the downtown magnet we wrote about here. The two schools are bookends of the same citywide commitment to arts education. The Kimberly Avenue campus sits in The Hill, New Haven's southwesternmost neighborhood, minutes from Yale New Haven Hospital and an easy drive from Union Station, the Long Wharf waterfront, and some of the most affordable housing in New Haven real estate, which we dug into in our recent Hill neighborhood spotlight.

No Audition, Just the School Choice Lottery

Admission works exactly like the other New Haven magnets. You submit one School Choice application online, rank up to six preferred schools, and the lottery assigns seats; no audition, no portfolio, no interview. As an interdistrict magnet, Betsy Ross is open to students from beyond New Haven too, so families relocating to the surrounding towns can apply, and a sibling already enrolled gives an applicant a preference in the draw. For the 2026-27 school year the application window ran February 2 through March 6, with results released March 31. Open houses and tours run through the winter, and that is the moment to see the studios in person and feel whether the building matches the buzz.

Betsy Ross is the kind of school that quietly changes how families think about living in New Haven: a public school where the arts are central, admission is fair, and the campus itself is growing. If you are weighing schools, neighborhoods, or a move to the area, I would love to help you connect the dots. Reach out to Robert Clarke at Coldwell Banker Realty at (203) 936-9004 or rob@robandvicCT.com, and let's find the right fit for your family.

Frequently Asked Questions About Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School

Where is Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School in New Haven?

Betsy Ross is at 150 Kimberly Avenue in The Hill, New Haven's southwesternmost neighborhood. The campus is minutes from Yale New Haven Hospital, an easy drive from Union Station and the Long Wharf waterfront, and close to some of the most affordable housing stock in New Haven real estate.

What grades does Betsy Ross serve?

Betsy Ross has historically served grades 5 through 8, with roughly 330 students. That is changing: the Betsy Ross Arts and Design Academy (BRADA) welcomed its first 9th grade class in fall 2025, and the district's magnet listings show grades 7 through 10 for the 2026-27 cycle as the school adds high school grades.

Does my child need to audition to get into Betsy Ross?

No. Admission runs through the New Haven Public Schools School Choice lottery. Families submit one online application, rank up to six preferred schools, and the lottery assigns seats with no audition, portfolio, or interview. A sibling already enrolled gives an applicant a preference in the draw.

Can students from outside New Haven attend Betsy Ross?

Yes. Betsy Ross is an interdistrict magnet, so it is open to students from New Haven and from anywhere in Connecticut. That makes it a real option for families relocating to the surrounding towns. For the 2026-27 school year the application window ran February 2 through March 6, with results released on March 31.

Related Articles

• A Family's Guide to School Choices in New Haven, CT

  How New Haven's public, magnet, and private schools work, including the School Choice lottery that fills Betsy Ross's seats.

• Co-op High School: New Haven's Arts Magnet

  The downtown arts magnet that Betsy Ross families helped bring to life in 1980, with five high school art majors of its own.

• Worthington Hooker School: New Haven's Top-Rated Public School

  The East Rock K-8 powerhouse families often compare against the magnet options, and how the lottery works for it too.

• Neighborhood Spotlight: The Hill, New Haven

  Union Station, Yale New Haven Hospital, the Long Wharf waterfront, and the neighborhood that Betsy Ross calls home.

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