The Arts track is for musicians, artists, actors and filmmakers. Explore its combinations below.
Check whether the Arts track fits your child
What the Arts track covers
What the Arts Track Covers
The Arts track is one of two tracks in the Arts & Sports Science pathway. The Ministry of Education’s guidelines, citing KICD, list three subjects: Music and Dance, Fine Arts, and Theatre and Film. Each of the three appears in 31 of the track’s 46 combinations on the Ministry’s list.
The pattern is simple: most Arts combinations take two of the three arts subjects and add one other subject. That third subject can be almost anything, from Biology and Computer Studies to French, Business Studies, a Religious Education subject or Advanced Mathematics. So a learner can take Fine Arts and Theatre and Film with Computer Studies, or Music and Dance and Theatre and Film with Literature in English. A few combinations take all three arts subjects.
Core subjects are English, Kiswahili (or Kenyan Sign Language), Community Service Learning and Essential Mathematics, with Core Mathematics possible if junior school results show readiness. That option matters for architecture and some design courses.
Is it right for your child?
The Arts track rewards real talent and real practice. Look for a child who draws or paints constantly, plays an instrument, sings in a choir, performs in drama or music festivals, makes videos, or designs clothes. Strong results in Creative Arts & Sports help, and the teachers who coach your child in festivals often know best. Ask whether your child enjoys the discipline of practice, not just the performance: senior school arts subjects involve theory, history and assessed projects too.
Careers
Examples include music performance, composition and production, sound engineering, graphic design, illustration and animation, fashion design, photography, film directing, acting and scriptwriting, set and costume design, arts management and arts teaching. Pairing an arts subject with Computer Studies supports digital design and animation, and pairing with Business Studies supports running a creative business. KUCCPS and institutions will set entry rules for the first senior school graduates in 2028.
Which schools offer it
Arts subjects need instruments, studios, stage space and specialist teachers, so they are offered by fewer schools than most tracks, and many offer only one or two of the three subjects. Decide which arts subject matters most, search our senior school finder, and confirm on the Ministry’s selection portal which schools offer that combination. Ask schools about their festival record too.
Get ready now
Practise Grade 9 Creative Arts & Sports and keep up the other learning areas with the CBC Challenge, since KJSEA counts for 60% of placement.
Questions parents ask
Frequently Asked Questions
What subjects are in the Arts track?
Music and Dance, Fine Arts, and Theatre and Film, according to the Ministry of Education’s senior school guidelines citing KICD.
Can I take an Arts subject with a science?
Yes. Arts combinations on the Ministry’s list include Biology, General Science, Computer Studies and Advanced Mathematics as the third subject.
Can I become an architect from the Arts track?
Architecture uses drawing and design as well as Mathematics. Fine Arts with Core Mathematics or Advanced Mathematics could suit; check university requirements when published.
How many Arts combinations are there?
The Ministry of Education’s list has 46 Arts combinations.
Sources
- Ministry of Education, Guidelines for Implementation of Senior School Education (October 2025)
- Ministry of Education, Full list of senior schools’ pathways, tracks and subject combinations
Information is checked against official documents as of 18 October 2026. Where the Ministry has not yet announced something for the 2026 cohort, we say so.