Let’s see, what classes are required to graduate. There’s Language arts, science, history, health, math and if you live in Utah, art is a required course for you to graduate.

According to a study conducted in 2014, 25 of the 50 states have some form of art credit as a requirement to graduate. However, the other 25 states say they would like to focus more on preparing students for their math and reading tests. Some states require schools to offer art to their students, others don’t. In many cases, only a small percentage of students take art classes.

Lobbyist, like Narric Rome, Vice President of Government Affairs & Arts Education at Americans for the Arts, would like to boost the numbers of states that require their students take some form of art credit. In an article published by Education By The Number, Rome says, “We make the argument that a complete education isn’t complete without the arts. One way to have that is to have a graduation requirement.”

What state data doesn’t reveal is which and how many students are receiving art instruction currently and how much of it they’re getting. The federal government issues a large report on arts education throughout the country, “Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools”, every decade.

The most recent data from 2010 confirms that low-income schools don’t offer music and visual art as much as high-income schools do.

A school day itself can be the most stressful thing you could face. For many people, art is a form of catharsis. It’s a way for them to cope with certain challenges in their lives. Adult coloring books have become a very popular form of stress relief. According to Be Brain Fit, “activities like painting, sculpting, drawing, and photography are relaxing and rewarding hobbies that can lower your stress levels and leave you feeling mentally clear and calm.”

Emily Vranes, A Bingham High student, Says “Letting kids have a moment of creativity in the day will just be a refreshing thing for them. And give them a little bit of a break.” But, many students don’t have access to these art classes. So how are they supposed to cope? What should they do?

Adding an art requirement to graduate would be significantly beneficial to many of the students that go to school, especially for the art lovers in the world.