09/02/2026
Fine Arts are not outside the academic program. They are part of it.
In Texas, art, dance, music and theatre are grounded in the Fine Arts Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills—the TEKS. These standards establish what students should know and be able to do, creating a rigorous, sequential course of learning from one grade level to the next.
Texas law also includes Fine Arts within the required enrichment curriculum that school districts must offer. That distinction matters: Fine Arts are not an extracurricular reward, an expendable elective or a decorative addition to the school day. They are an essential part of a complete public education.
Strong Fine Arts programs require the same intentional support we expect for every essential area of learning: qualified educators, protected instructional time, aligned curriculum, appropriate facilities and materials, and equitable access for students.
When we treat Fine Arts as essential learning, we give students the opportunity to build knowledge, develop their abilities and experience the kind of sustained growth that only rigorous arts instruction can provide.
Fine Arts belong in every student’s education.
