The San Francisco Opera's groundbreaking Opera ARIA programs aim at connecting professional artistic and creative elements of opera with classroom curricula. Based on a semester of investigation into the needs of the school community and a semester of pilot testing, the Opera ARIA programs focus on empowering educators to work with their own colleagues and with the Opera to develop curriculum connections, as well as connections to the California State Arts and Academic Standards.

The Rising Star Theatre Attendance Program inspires a new generation of theatregoers by providing Bay Area high school students with a four play season subscription. As part of the TAP, students receive a pre-show lesson plan that includes theatre games/warm-ups, scene teasers and comprehension questions; the post-show lesson provides further enrichment with activities that draw on their experience as audience members. Rising Stars also participate in an immediate post-show discussion.