Marin School of the Arts

The Marin School of the Arts (MSA) is an award-winning arts academy within a public high school setting. MSA offers talented and motivated students the opportunity for professional arts instruction and practice while fulfilling all academic requirements at Novato High School. MSA is a regional magnet to which students can apply for admission from any school in the Bay Area, as well as from within the Novato Unified School District. The affordable and cost-effective setting of the program in a public high school encourages a greater socio-economic and geographic diversity of talented young artists, attracting students across Novato, Marin County and the wider Bay Area. Teacher, musician and artist Mark Peabody founded and designed the school in 2003, utilizing $270,000 in grant funds awarded by the California Department of Education. Under Mr Peabody’s direction, in ten years, the school has more than quadrupled its enrollment, earning widespread parental support and an impressive list of performance and achievement awards, and turning out graduates whose achievements speak for themselves: the 72 seniors in last year’s graduating class earned nearly $3 million in college scholarships. MSA won a State Golden Bell award in 2007 for its performing and visual program, the same year as Mr Peabody was one of 16 semi-finalists for California Teacher of the Year. In 2011, the music department won a Grammy Signature School award for an exemplary music program in a public school.