[13] With the support of Waldrip and Tom Murray, director for the west-central division of Cincinnati elementary schools, they pushed for $119,000 (~$623,399 in 2023) as part of a tax levy referendum in May 1973; the measure was defeated.

[16]Dickinson was named coordinator and six weeks later he, McSpadden, Murray and others had selected a staff, developed a program, recruited students, and moved into the Mount Adams Public School building at 1125 St. Gregory Street.

Student productions were held in other schools around the city, and the first major musical, Babes in Toyland, was performed at Education Center downtown.

[20] Councilwoman Bobbie Stern proposed the school move to Cincinnati Union Terminal, a National Historic Landmark which the Historic American Buildings Survey called "a unique and monumental manifestation of Art Deco architecture and interior decoration",[22] noted for its mosaic murals depicting the history of Cincinnati and its rotunda, 106 feet (32 m) high and 110 feet (34 m) long, the largest semi-dome in the western hemisphere.

[28] The Yavneh Day school, founded in 1952 by parents who wanted to combine secular and Jewish education for their children, moved to Roselawn in 1958 but had outgrown that facility.

Designed by Gustav Brach, it was considered "an architectural gem"[39] in its time, with some of the most modern facilities of its day, including flush toilets, central heating, and two swimming pools.

[41] The building is part of the Over-the-Rhine National Register Historic District, which encompasses 362.5 acres (146.7 ha) of the original German community and adjoins the Sycamore – 13th Street Historic District, which reflects the significant architecture associated with middle and late 19th century Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and Italianate styles.

[46] SCPA continued to attract national attention, and as a local TV special reported, "educators from all over the country flock[ed] to Cincinnati to see how, and why, it works.

[55] Scandal erupted when principal Dickinson resigned in 1991, citing health reasons, while under investigation for alleged improper contact with students off school grounds;[55] no charges were ever filed.

[62] England abruptly retired in 1997 and was replaced by Jeff Brokamp, who had been principal of the Crest Hills Year-Round School, which had won awards for its all-year curriculum.

[65] A new emphasis on academics, more Advanced Placement courses and more stringent audition standards that admitted only the most dedicated students led to better test scores and a higher level of artistic talent;[57] Brokamp pushed to expand the school's vocational training programs in photography, stage management, and costume design by 50 percent.

[70] According to Cincinnati Magazine, the "scandal launched rumors and confusion"[71] and "the revolving door of school administrators"[72] took a toll on faculty and student morale.

[77] The show attracted international attention for the school and interest from prospective students around the world; applications for admission increased by 60 percent in 2009.

[84] The construction plans faced opposition from those in the community who feared the project would displace the Drop Inn Center, the region's largest homeless shelter, and the design was revised to build around it.

[86][d] The 5.75-acre (2.33 ha) park, reclaimed from old burial grounds between 1858 and 1863, is lined with trees and benches and features statues of Friedrich Hecker and Robert Latimer McCook, German-American heroes of the American Civil War.

[89] Designed by Samuel Hannaford, one of Cincinnati's most important architects, and built with private funds in 1878, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, noting its "stunning composition in the High Victorian Gothic mode".

The program is highly structured, emphasizing technique and control over free expression, which has attracted criticism from the local art community.

[104] There are three major dramatic productions each season, and high school students are required to compete in the English Speaking Union Shakespeare Contest.

Advanced students take private lessons, arranged by the school, and have master classes with guest instructors from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

[112] The technical theater program offers college-level training in stage management, lighting, sound, and set and costume design.

[116] Strict racial balance is maintained in all school performances through "non-traditional casting",[50] in which the race of each lead role alternates in each production.

[117] SCPA students and faculty have performed with professional companies and in major venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

[120] Honors since 2008 have included first place in the Ohioana Robert Fox Award for Young Writers, a bronze medal at the Cincinnati World Piano Competition, top honors at the Days of International Choir Music Competition, and the 2008 Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Award in Visual Art.

"[125][126] Ninety percent of graduating seniors continue on to college, and those students receive one of the highest levels of scholarship funding in the city.

In 2007, the 98 graduating seniors received a combined $7.1 million in scholarships and SCPA averaged $72,449 per student, the third most of any public or private school in Cincinnati.

[54][127] SCPA offers a limited range of sports and other activities compared to other CPS schools, as students are expected to commit significant after-school time to practice and performance.

The technical theater facilities include labs for lighting and sound engineering, as well as costume, scenery, and stage prop shops.

[135] Alumni include Cyrus Voris, producer of Bulletproof Monk, Kung Fu Panda, Robin Hood and the Emmy-nominated miniseries Sleeper Cell and Todd Louiso, director of Love Liza and actor in Apollo 13, High Fidelity and other films.

Four-time Emmy nominee Rebecca Budig of soap opera Guiding Light also attended SCPA, as did Emmy-nominated Chicago Hope and NCIS star Rocky Carroll, film and TV actor Jeff Sams, and Baywatch actress Carmen Electra.

[46] ^ d: Plans for Kunzel's original vision of an entire arts complex anchored by Music Hall were scaled back due to lack of funding.