High School Art Curriculum for Private and Independent Schools
For private and independent high schools that need a structured art course for grades 9–12, Art Complete – High School provides 100+ resources on analysis, interpretation and studio practice, including conceptual work and traditional and digital media. Students move from concept to final artwork with growing independence. It is a digital download from $149.90, ready for the art teacher or department head to plan from the day it is bought.
View Art Complete – HS →Art Complete – High School, from $149.90, is a no-prep digital art curriculum for grades 9–12. It covers analysis and interpretation of art across cultures, periods and contemporary contexts, including style, symbolism, composition and intention, plus studio practice in drawing, painting, mixed media, design and experimental and conceptual approaches. Students build toward independent work. Private schools should check it against their own course and credit requirements, as no endorsement is claimed.
The curriculum
Art Complete – High School, Grades 9–12
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
The real problem
What makes upper school art hard to run alone
In a small independent high school, one art teacher may handle Art I, an advanced studio section and a few seniors building portfolios for art school applications, often in the same room. The school has no district framework, so the difference between Art I and Art III depends entirely on what that teacher writes. When the teacher changes, the program can reset to zero. College counseling adds pressure. Families paying private tuition want evidence that a student's art credit involves real critical thinking: interpreting intention, comparing styles, writing about why a contemporary artist made a choice. They also want portfolio pieces that show growing independence, not twelve copies of the same assignment. Meanwhile your students range from a sophomore who needs the requirement to a senior who wants to study design. A useful high school art course has to teach analysis and studio skills in parallel, introduce experimental and conceptual approaches, and gradually hand more decisions to the student. Writing that four-year progression, on top of hanging shows and ordering supplies, rarely happens at a small school, so the course stays an unwritten collection of favorite projects.
Why it fits
What a private school gets from it
The curriculum gives your upper school art offering a defined progression that can survive staff changes.
- Analysis lessons cover style, symbolism, composition and intention, giving art credit an academic core.
- Contemporary contexts and media art help older students connect classwork to living artists.
- Experimental and conceptual units push advanced students past technical exercises.
- Growing independence from concept to final artwork supports students assembling application portfolios.
- Traditional and digital media options let you match tasks to your room and devices.
- A documented structure means the next art teacher inherits a course, not an empty cupboard.
Getting started
Getting it running this semester
One approach for a private school art department of one or two people:
- Sort units by course levelRead through the materials and decide which analysis and studio units belong in an introductory course and which suit advanced or senior students. Write that split down for your department file.
- Open with interpretationBegin with a lesson on style, symbolism and intention. Students who learn to explain artistic choices early make more deliberate choices in their own work.
- Set one concept-to-final projectChoose a studio project that runs from first concept through to finished artwork. It becomes the first portfolio piece for students who need one. Date and photograph each stage.
- Introduce a conceptual approachFor older students, add an experimental or conceptual unit before midyear. It gives them work that looks different from typical class assignments. Pair it with a short written artist statement.
- Share the progression with counselingGive your college counselor a summary of what each level covers. It helps them describe the art program accurately in school profiles. Update it each year as courses change.
Which version
Which version suits your school
The $149.90 version with 100+ resources is the complete high school art course. The $189.90 version includes Teach-Life-Balance, a digital time-saving course with a planner, guides and templates. It helps art teachers whose time disappears into shows, portfolio reviews and supply orders, though the art content is the same either way. If your school needs a middle school art course too and you teach both, buying Art Complete – Middle School alongside it with TEACHMORE15 saves 15% and gives both divisions the same structure.
Honest limits
What it does not do
Supplies, digital software and artwork images beyond the materials are yours to provide. It is not an AP Studio Art course and does not guarantee any portfolio or admissions outcome. Your school sets course credit, and any accreditation questions should be checked against your own requirements. If other art faculty will use the files, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it meet arts standards, accreditation or credit requirements?
No standards body or accreditor has endorsed it, and Teach Lessons does not claim it meets any standards framework or credit rule. It is written for U.S. high school art classrooms. Your registrar or academic dean decides how the course counts, so confirm with them and compare it with any accreditation expectations before listing it.
Can it support students preparing art school portfolios?
It can help. Studio units move from concept to finished artwork with growing independence, and experimental and conceptual approaches give students more varied work. Portfolio requirements differ by program, though, so students and counselors should check what each school asks for. The curriculum makes no admissions promises.
Is it an AP Studio Art course?
No. It is a general high school art curriculum covering analysis, interpretation and studio practice. Skills from it can support students who later take an AP course, but it is not built around any exam framework or portfolio format. Talk with your college counselor about how to describe the course on transcripts.
We have few computers. Is digital media required?
No. Practice includes both traditional and digital media, so you can lean on drawing, painting, mixed media and design if devices are limited. Use digital tasks only where your room supports them. Many analysis lessons also work from printed images, so a projector is helpful but not essential for every class.
Are there supporting art products?
The Complete Art Education Bundle for High School at $59.90 may appear on the product page as an optional addition. It can extend the course, but the main curriculum contains enough for the full year. Look at the course for a semester first, then decide whether students need more studio projects.
How do we handle school purchasing?
The curriculum is purchased online and delivered instantly. If your business office or head of school has questions about school purchasing, or about multiple teachers using the files, send them to Teach Lessons before buying so you have answers in advance. The answers help the business office plan without delaying your start.
Build an upper school art course that lasts
See the full list of contents and both versions on the product page, then start planning your semester.
View Art Complete – HS →