[2] ESA is part of the Toronto District School Board and accepts students from all over southern Ontario from Grade 9 to 12.

[3] The school has been publicized in multiple magazines such as Maclean's, The Toronto Star and in a national newspaper, The Globe and Mail.

By the late 1970s The Etobicoke Board of Education had gone through the process of closing over thirty schools because of a dramatic decline in enrolment, which dropped from 65,000 to fewer than 35,000 pupils.

In spite of this, the senior staff felt compelled to resume innovative programs that had characterized the Board during the 1960s and 1970s.

[5][6] In September 1983 ESA moved to its current home in the building of Royal York Collegiate Institute which had been closed in June 1982.

At ESA students have the chance to work with an experienced arts faculty as well as numerous professional "visiting artists".

Mainstage, the departments headliner production presented each year in the Nancy Main Theatre, has been held since the school opened in 1981.

The department participates in many competitions such as the Sears Ontario Drama Festival where it has won many awards in its history.

With the culmination of this work, students produce their Drama Showcases, performed through the final months of the school year.

ESA students also broke a record, winning 53% of all international Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards.

In Grade 9 and 10, students begin to perfect their skills, technique, and overall ability, both as individual performers and ensemble players in groups.

In Theory, Grade 11 students complete the History of Music, and gain proficiency in fields such as composition, harmonization, and listening skills.

The Orchestration course available to students in Grade 12, includes a History component and hones abilities pertaining to writing, transposing and organizing music.

Students are responsible for mounting a full musical recital, including rehearsals, staging, lighting, and publicity.

They also produce "Portfolio Day", one of the largest international high school art events, where students meet with visiting post-secondary institutions.

Since 2013, ESA Photography students have participated in the Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward Incubator Program.

In addition to classroom facilities for the academic subjects, ESA has many spaces especially designed for the study of the arts.

The film department has a wide variety of equipment and is currently developing green screening rooms.

ESA's Nancy Main Auditorium, which is named after the founding principal, is a 571-seat proscenium arch style theatre that serves as the primary performing venue.

The Nancy Main is updated regularly and provides students with performing opportunities and the chance to learn about technical production.

In June 2015, ESA student and graduate Alexi Halket was sent to the principal's office following an incident when she wore a black crop top that resembled a bra.

In outrage, students across 25 TDSB schools including ESA and universities staged a protest in solidarity.