Students walked out of class in protest Friday.
The school sits on the edge of Humboldt Park on Chicago's West Side.
Emotions ran high for parents and students Friday at ChiArts after finding out that the future of the school is in limbo. For now, it will remain open until the end of the school year.
"This was a blindsided slap," school parent Rousemary Vega said. "We want CPS to preserve the school of the arts, it's what we need them to do."
Parents and students say they learned Thursday that the Board of Directors for the Chicago High School of the Arts decided not to submit an application to renew its contract with Chicago Public Schools.
CPS says it has been working with ChiArts as the CPS-managed contract school is dealing with financial issues. CPS covers the costs of academics, and the ChiArts Foundation covers the costs of the arts.
The high school located in Humboldt Park. It has a unique model, offering a place where students can get an education while also learning a specific art.
"Normally when you have acting classes you have to pay thousands of dollars," freshman student Zamara Ramos said. "I don't know about ya'll, but I don't have thousands of dollars to pay for acting and singing classes. That's why I came here."
Students staged a sit-in at the school on Friday. Other students also briefly walked out the school to make their voices heard.
"This school is the only place where I feel accepted," freshman student Olivia Bonilla said.
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"We genuinely do not know where to go if ChiArts closes down," freshman student Mia Moncada said.
ChiArts Principal Nestor Corona stepped outside the school on Friday, but refused to answer questions from members of the media.
ChiArts serves about 550 students.
On Monday, the school will have a parent meeting to answer further questions, one of many meetings that is expected as school leadership weighs out its future.
A CPS spokesperson issued the following statement:
"At this stage, no decisions have been made about the school's long-term future. Any decisions about the school's future will require more review, conversations, and collaboration. CPS will continue to collaborate with the ChiArts Board of Directors, school leadership, staff, students, and families throughout this process." - CPS Spokesperson
The ChiArts School Board issued the following statement:
"We are proud that ChiArts has provided high-quality education and intensive pre-professional arts training to CPS students for the past 15 years. As a premier free, public, pre-professional arts high school, ChiArts has shaped the lives of thousands of "scholar-artists" from every Chicago neighborhood. In fact, more than 60% of ChiArts graduates pursue careers in the arts, while all contribute to the cultural vitality, diversity, and economic strength of Chicago's arts community. In recent years, ChiArts' operations funding has posed significant challenges. Despite careful fiscal management and the school's strong enrollment, the school faces funding shortfalls amid rising operating costs, leading to a recurring, unsustainable deficit. After thorough analysis and deliberation, the ChiArts Board recently notified Chicago Public Schools that we cannot meet the financial requirements of the contract renewal agreement with CPS. As a result, we are not submitting a renewal application based on the existing terms. It is essential to know that ChiArts is fully funded through the academic year ending June 2026. This development will not affect students in this academic year. We are pleased that CPS is committed to collaborating to pursue a new, sustainable operating model for ChiArts beginning next school year. Our goal is clear: to help secure ChiArts' future so it may continue changing the lives of talented Chicago youth through public, pre-professional arts education. We will do all we can to help ensure its and its students' future success."