Booker T.

Washington High School, named for the famous educator,[3] opened in September
1924 under the auspices of the Atlanta Board of Education, with the late Charles Lincoln Harper
as principal. It was the first public high school for African-Americans in the state of Georgia and
the Atlanta Public Schools system.[4]
Booker T. Washington High School was transformed into four small schools. Starting in the fall of
2014, the school transitioned back to the original one school, with four assistant principals, one
academy leader, and one principal.

Administration[edit]
 William C Wade, EdS Principal

History[edit]

Designed by Atlanta-born architect Eugene C. Wachendorff, the building incorporates medieval

and Byzantine elements, including the dramatic main entrance with five arches in two tiers. Six
additions have been made to the original four-story building, which is situated on 21.4 acres
(87,000 m2) of land. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]
It is fitting that visitors pass the statue of the school's namesake on the way to the
entrance.[5] One of the foremost black educators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker
T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 on a small farm in Virginia. He founded
the Tuskegee Institute in 1881.
In 1927, the only exact replica of the Booker T. Washington monument at Tuskegee University in
Alabama was erected at the school's entrance. The statue of Washington, called "Booker T.
Washington Lifting the Veil of Ignorance," is a replica of the original bronze at the Tuskegee
Institute by sculptor Charles Keck. The inscription reads: "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his
people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."[5]
Today, the school, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, boasts
an enrollment of more than 1600 students and a faculty and staff of more than 100.
Visitors to the historic institution have included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
activist Jesse Jackson, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, and President George W. Bush.[6][7]
The school serves as a cornerstone of Atlanta Public School's comprehensive reform program,
Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams). The project aims to increase the number of
inner-city students who graduate and go to college.[4]

Academics[edit]
Washington Early College[edit]
Booker T. Washington High School-Early College is one of the newest early college small schools
in the Atlanta Public School System. The premise behind the early college concept is to afford
students the opportunity to obtain college credits while going to high school. BTWHS-EC aims to
prepare students to pursue post-secondary education at some of the top universities and colleges
in the U.S.[8]
In addition to the core program of study, students are required to take the following classes to
meet the requirements of the Early College School:

 Early College Seminar

 Early College Math
 Early College English
 Early College Social Studies
 Early College Science
Washington Banking, Finance, and Investment[edit]
The Booker T. Washington High School Banking, Finance and Investment Small School (BFI)
gives BTW high school students an opportunity to learn about and prepare for college careers in
business and finance. Emphasis is placed on a college preparatory curriculum that is directly
linked to the business world.[citation needed]
This school prepares students for careers in business and finance with challenging courses. It
focuses on broad, transferable skills, with an emphasis on financial industry elements such as
accounting, financial planning, management, banking, credit, economics, money management,
technology, investments, and insurance. In addition to their required courses, BFI students take
one or two specialized courses each semester and a college-level course in their senior year.
Students also participate in job shadowing experiences and paid internships.[citation needed]
BFI is a part of the National Academy Foundation's Academy of Finance. This foundation assists
in establishing an ongoing relationship that involves corporate executives, school personnel,
parents, and students, and results in paid internships, scholarships, and employment
opportunities. Students are provided opportunities to enter into paid internships with local
financial service companies during the summer of their senior year, and many offers of part-time
employment during the school year are provided. BFI also has the Institute of Student
Achievement (ISA) as its intermediary partner. This organization supports the school's planning
process, curriculum development, leadership development, and overall development of the small
learning communities.[citation needed]