This article appears to be slanted towards recent events. (May 2021) |
Duke Ellington School of the Arts | |
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Address | |
3500 R Street Northwest[1] 20007 United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1974 |
School district | District of Columbia Public Schools Ward 2 |
CEEB code | 090225 |
Principal | Sandi M. Logan |
Faculty | 20.0 (on FTE basis)[3] |
Grades | 9 to 12 |
Enrollment | 525 (2015-16)[2] |
Student to teacher ratio | 24.55[3] |
Campus type | Urban |
Website | www |
Western High School | |
Coordinates | 38°54′47″N 77°4′14″W / 38.91306°N 77.07056°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1898 |
Architect | Harry B. Davis, Snowden Ashford |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
MPS | Public School Buildings of Washington, DC MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 03000673[4] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 25, 2003 |
Designated DCIHS | May 23, 2002 |
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, a native of Washington, D.C. The building formerly housed Western High School. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Graduates of the school are prepared to pursue an artistic and theatric occupation. In addition to completing the traditional public school college prep curriculum, students must audition for and complete studies in one of the following artistic areas: cinematic arts and media production, dance, museum studies, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, technical design and production, and visual arts.
The school developed from the collaborative efforts of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a long-time member of the D.C. School Board and Mike Malone, a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway, contemporary dancer, director, and master choreographer, who were co-founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968.[6] In 1974 this workshop program developed into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at Western High School, an accredited four-year public high school program combining arts and academics. It is currently operated as a joint partnership between D.C. Public Schools, the Kennedy Center, and George Washington University.[7]