New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to provide access to arts education in every public school, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday during a visit to Paramus High School.

"New Jersey has reached a milestone of 100 percent of our public schools offering arts programs," Murphy said. "That's an incredible achievement that I know our state and our schools have worked very hard to accomplish."

The growth in arts education was highlighted in the 2019 New Jersey Arts Education Annual Report, released Monday. Among states that track arts education, only New Jersey claims to have full participation among schools, according to the report from the advocacy group Arts Ed NJ.

Although all schools now offer arts education as part of the school day, not all students participate. About 81 percent of students study one of four arts disciplines — dance, music, theater and visual art — which is an all-time high in the state. That represents an increase of 25 percent over the last decade, or about 250,000 more students, the report said.

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Robert Morrison, director of Arts Ed NJ, said his organization's top goal had been for the state to reach universal access.

"We are now able to turn our attention to the quality of experience and diversity of offerings for our students," he said.

State education standards in New Jersey call for schools to offer all four arts disciplines. Overall, 91 percent of elementary schools and three-quarters of middle schools offer only two, typically music and visual arts. Two-thirds of high schools offered three forms of arts education.

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Students involved in the arts are more likely to score higher in language arts literacy and are more likely to enroll in college, said Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet.

“New Jersey’s focus on arts education is designed not only to provide students with an appreciation of the arts, but it helps unleash their creativity and innovation," he said. "Those are tools that can help them achieve greater success throughout life.”