Nashville is a city built on creativity. From the songwriters crafting hits on Music Row to the artists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs shaping the city's future, creative thinking is woven into Music City's identity. So when your child is a creative learner — someone who thrives on open-ended projects, artistic expression, and hands-on exploration — it makes sense to find a school that honors that same spirit.
At Templeton Academy Nashville, creativity isn't an elective — it's the foundation of how students learn. Our project-based learning model channels students' natural curiosity and creative drive into rigorous academic work, producing graduates who are not only artistically expressive but also critical thinkers, effective communicators, and confident problem-solvers prepared for college and beyond.
A School That Reflects Nashville's Creative Culture
Nashville families choose Templeton because our educational philosophy aligns with the values that make this city special: innovation, authenticity, and the belief that creative expression and professional excellence go hand in hand.
Our downtown campus places students at the center of Nashville's cultural landscape. Through our Fieldwork program — what we call "The City as Your Classroom" — students don't just learn about creativity in the abstract. They experience it firsthand through explorations that have included:
- Investigating sound engineering at Nashville recording studios
- Analyzing architectural design at the Parthenon
- Exploring social history at the Civil Rights Room
- Studying civics through visits to the State Capitol
- Examining immigration's impact on Nashville's culture along Nolensville Pike
For creative students, this kind of authentic, real-world learning is transformative. It gives their work context, purpose, and an audience beyond the classroom walls.
Project-Based Learning for Creative Minds
Many schools treat creativity as something that happens outside of academic learning — during art class, in after-school clubs, or on the weekends. At Templeton, creativity is embedded in how students learn every subject.
Our project-based learning approach is built on extended learning blocks — two hours and twenty minutes per subject — that give students the time and space to dive deep into meaningful work. Instead of jumping from class to class in 45-minute increments, students engage in collaborative research projects, design challenges with community partners, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and student-led initiatives based on personal interests.
This structure is especially powerful for creative learners because it mirrors the way creative professionals actually work: sustained focus, iterative development, collaboration, and the freedom to take intellectual risks. A student studying environmental science might design and conduct original research at Shelby Park. A humanities student might produce a multimedia journalism project exploring diverse perspectives in their community.
The results speak for themselves. Research consistently demonstrates that project-based learning has a significant positive influence on students' creativity and critical thinking (Frontiers in Psychology, 2023), confirming what Templeton families experience every day: when creative students are given the right environment, they don't just engage — they excel.
Arts Integration Across the Curriculum
At Templeton Nashville, the arts aren't confined to a single class period. They're woven throughout the academic experience, giving creative students multiple outlets for expression and multiple pathways to demonstrate mastery. Our arts and elective offerings include:
- Drama and Theater Studies — student-directed plays and showcases
- Visual Arts — studio work displayed in school and community exhibitions
- Photography — capturing Nashville's visual landscape through artistic and documentary lenses
- Film — creating, screening, and critiquing original works at student film festivals
- Music — exploring Nashville's rich musical heritage through performance and composition
Students also have significant input into elective offerings, and student-initiated clubs — including Theater Club and Film Club — provide additional creative community beyond the classroom.
Student Portfolios and Public Exhibitions
One of the most distinctive features of a Templeton education is how students demonstrate their learning. Rather than relying solely on tests and grades, our students build portfolios of authentic work and present their learning at quarterly exhibitions — public presentations where they share their projects with peers, educators, families, and community members.
For creative students, this approach is powerful for several reasons:
- It validates creative work as real academic achievement. Portfolios showcase the depth and quality of student thinking, not just their ability to fill in correct answers.
- It builds presentation and communication skills. Students learn to articulate their creative process, defend their ideas, and respond to feedback — skills that serve them in college and career.
- It creates authentic audiences. When students know their work will be seen by people beyond their teacher, the stakes feel real, and the quality of work rises accordingly.
- It captures growth over time. Portfolios document a student's creative and intellectual development across their Templeton journey, creating a powerful narrative for college applications.
Small Classes Where Creative Students Are Seen
With an average class size of just 10 students, Templeton's learning environment ensures that every creative student is seen, supported, and challenged. Teachers know each student's unique strengths, interests, and areas for growth — and they use that knowledge to personalize instruction in ways that large-classroom settings simply can't match.
This matters enormously for creative learners, who often feel invisible or misunderstood in traditional settings. At Templeton, there's no disappearing into the back row. Every student's voice is heard, every idea is valued, and every project receives the individualized feedback that helps creative work reach its full potential.
"Templeton has given my daughter something I never had in school — the chance to be fully herself while being challenged academically. The small class sizes mean teachers truly know her strengths and areas for growth, and the project-based approach keeps her engaged in ways traditional schools never did." — Current Parent
Core Advisory: Helping Creative Students Find Their "Why"
Creative students often have deep wells of passion and talent — but they may not yet understand how their gifts connect to a larger purpose. Templeton's Core Advisory program, built around the theme of "Find Your Why," helps students develop the self-awareness and personal direction that transforms raw creative potential into purposeful action.
Through meaningful relationships with advisors and peers, students clarify their values, set personal goals, and explore how their unique gifts can serve their communities. This social-emotional foundation is especially important for creative learners, who may have experienced frustration or disconnection in previous school settings and need support rebuilding confidence in themselves as students.
95% College Acceptance — Creativity and Rigor Together
Parents of creative students sometimes worry that a non-traditional approach won't prepare their child for college. At Templeton Nashville, 95% of graduates are accepted to their college of choice. Our college counseling program begins in ninth grade, and students' portfolios of authentic, creative work make them stand out in admissions processes that increasingly value originality, initiative, and the ability to think across disciplines.
The creative skills your child develops at Templeton — collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving — are precisely the competencies that colleges and employers now prioritize.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Templeton Academy only for students interested in the arts?
Not at all. While our environment is ideal for artistically inclined students, our project-based approach benefits any student who learns best through doing, creating, and exploring — whether their interests lean toward science, entrepreneurship, technology, writing, or the visual and performing arts.
How does Templeton compare to Nashville School of the Arts?
While both schools value creative expression, Templeton's project-based model integrates creativity across all academic subjects rather than separating arts training from core academics. Our mastery-based approach, average class size of 10, and Core Advisory program also distinguish the Templeton experience.
Does Templeton offer financial aid for Nashville families?
Yes. Templeton Academy is socio-economically diverse by design, and need-based financial aid is available through our partnership with Clarity. Applying for financial aid does not affect your student's admissions decision. Learn more about tuition and financial aid.
See Creativity in Action at Templeton Nashville
The best way to understand what a Templeton education looks like for creative students is to experience it firsthand. Schedule an arts program tour to visit our downtown Nashville campus, observe project-based learning in action, and meet the faculty who are helping Music City's most creative students find their purpose.
Have questions? Contact our Nashville admissions team — we'd love to hear from your family.
Now enrolling grades 5–12.