Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or postgraduate programs in these areas. They are distinguished from larger institutions which also may offer majors or degrees in the visual arts, but only as one part of a broad-based range of programs (such as the liberal arts and sciences). France's École des Beaux-Arts is, perhaps, the first model for such organized instruction, breaking with a tradition of master and apprentice instruction when it was formed.

If accredited as a college, most art schools grant a bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of arts, or bachelor of science degree. Associate degrees and professional diploma programs are common as well.

In the U.S. art and design schools that offer bachelor of fine arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees break down into basic types with some overlap and variations. Artists are very well accredited.