Due to the hard work of our students, staff, parents, community members and the Advisory Board, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, has received a campus rating of EXEMPLARY from the Texas Education Agency. In order to become a student here, you must go through an audition, interview, portfolio, or other demonstration of artistic aptitude. The student population reflects the ethnic enrollment of the Dallas Independent School District at large. On the average, 2009 graduates were offered  over 9 million dollars in college scholarships in both arts and academic majors. In 2010, the 181 graduates, were offered 11.2 million dollars in scholarship opportunities!

A complete academic program is offered at Booker T. Washington including nineteen AP classes. 99% of BTWHSPVA students graduate, with 95% going on to higher education. The instructional staff consists approximately of 54 full-time teachers and approximately 15 part-time teachers and consultants. Faculty distinctions include Fulbright Scholars, a Christa McAuliffe Fellow, two National Tandy Technology Scholars, and a social studies teacher who has received the top K-12 humanities educator award for all of Texas twice, and in 2010, our jazz studies Director was just inducted into the Jazz Educators Hall of Fame.  Only 18 educators in 76 years has accomplished this! 

With it's dual emphasis on arts and academics, Booker T. Washington produces a stellar list of alumni including Grammy winners Norah Jones and Erykah Badu, Jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and members of other groups such as Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, and the gospel group, God's Property. Other noted graduates are dancer Jay Franke; cellist John Koen; acclaimed NYC artist Christian Schumann;  visual artist and muralist, Chris Arnold; drummer Aaron Comess; actor and songwriter Shahine Ezell; and Earl Lucas, head car designer for the new Ford Taurus. Names to look out for: Annie Dingwall, Olivia Harris, Tiger Darrow, Josh Goldberg, Nile Jones, Ida Saki, Austin Goodwin, Katy Wood, Evan Beck, John-Michael Lyles (who won the 2010 National English Speaking Union Shakespeare competition!)

Each year Booker T. Washington visual, music, theater, and dance students receive recognition for their achievements through national arts foundations. In 2009, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts was one of five Arts high schools chosen by the NFAA as a Distinguished School in the Arts. In 2007, four Booker T. students were named as Young Arts Finalists with three students receiving the highly distinguished Presidential Scholar awards. In 2009, two students were named as finalists for the NFAA (one in African Dance and the other in Musical Theatre) while several others qualified for Honorable Mentions and Merit Awards. In 2010, two of our dancers, Ida Saki and Austin Goodwin, achieved Presidential Scholar with additional student honorable mentions and merit awards. In all, BTWHSPVA has had over 21 NFAA Presidential Scholars.

Booker T. Washington High School is located in the downtown Dallas Arts District. The original 1922 school building was renovated over a 2 year period. A new wing was added to the school expanding it from 130,000 to 199,000 square feet, accommodating an 800-person student body. Some of the features of the new building are: 41 teaching spaces, state of the art technology and science labs, a 400 seat or 16,000 square foot ARTS theater for performance and instruction, a 200 seat black box theater, an open air central amphitheater (the Green Room), and visual art exhibition space. The new building is unprecedented nationally as an arts education facility for a public school.  We moved back to our renovated building from our temporary location at Nolan Estes Plaza on April 21, 2008.

Booker T. Washington High School's location in the Dallas Arts District will continue to provide students with the opportunity to learn while nestled amongst nationally recognized museums, theaters, and concert halls.