DeKalb School of the Arts (DSA) is a public performing arts

magnet school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur. DeKalb County is inclu ...

, United States, east of the city of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. It is a part of the

DeKalb County School District The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) is a school district headquartered at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, near Stone Mountain and in the Atlanta metropolitan area. DCSD operates ...

, as well as a member of the Arts Schools Network. DeKalb School of the Arts is located at 1192 Clarendon Avenue, Avondale Estates, Georgia 30002.DeKalb School of the Arts About DSA page
May 2007

History

DeKalb School of the Arts began in 1985 under the direction of Richard Leitgeb and became the DeKalb Center for the Performing Arts, a magnet program housed at Avondale High School. In 1999 it was established as a separate entity and became the DeKalb School of the Arts, and in 2002 it moved into the former

Briarcliff High School Briarcliff High School (BHS) is a public secondary school in Briarcliff Manor, New York that serves students in grades 9– 12. It is the only high school in the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District, sharing its campus with Briarcliff ...

. After eight years at its independent location, DeKalb School of the Arts moved back into the Avondale High School building in August 2010. Since the closure of Avondale High School in 2011, DSA has occupied half of its old campus, sharing it with the

's Registration, School Choice and Records departments. In the winter of 2020 the school district abruptly decided to drop the eighth grade class from DSA. Starting in August 2021 the school only has grades 9–12.

Art curriculum

Every student at the school has a major and a minor. They must take three courses in their major and two courses in their minor. The arts majors are: creative writing, dance, drama, film & digital media, instrumental music (band and orchestra), tech theater, visual arts, and vocal music. In addition, students must earn twenty production credits every year through school performances or helping produce school performances.

Academic achievements

*2021: The College Board named DSA an AP Access and Support School, an AP Challenge School, an AP School of Distinction, and an AP Expansion School - qualifying in every category it was eligible forAP pass rate holds steady in Georgia despite COVID
Feb 24, 2021 *2018-2021: Niche School Rankings consistently named DSA the Best High School for the Arts in GeorgiaDeKalb School of the Arts
/ref> *2017: US News/World Report named DSA the #2 high school in the state, the #24 Magnet School in the country, and the #89 best high school nationally *2017: DSA received a Platinum Award for being a Highest Performing High School under Georgia's Single Statewide Accountability System from the Governor's Office of Student Achievement2017 Single Statewide Accountability System Award (SSAS) Schools
Nov. 17, 2017 *2010-2017: Ranked in the top 700 US high school by the Washington Post High School ChallengeAmerica's Most Challenging High Schools
, 2016 *2005-2013: Ranked in the top 10 high schools in metro Atlanta by ''

Atlanta Magazine ''Atlanta'' is a monthly general-interest magazine based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by Hour Media Group, LLC. Its staff has featured notable writers such as Hollis Gillespie, Anne Rivers Siddons, and William Diehl, and it has included contr ...

'' in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013 *2010: The Georgia Public Policy Foundation ranked DSA as #2 of the best high schools in Georgia *2009: DSA is named a

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

2009 National Blue Ribbon Schools
2009 *2009: The

Woodruff Arts Center Woodruff Arts Center is a visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta, Georgia. The center houses three not-for-profit arts divisions on one campus. Opened in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlant ...

named DSA as a Leader in Education *2007: Received a GRAMMY Foundation GRAMMY Signature School award 2007 GRAMMY Signature Schools Named
Dec. 2 2014

Notable alumni

DeKalb Center for the Performing Arts 1985-1999 * 1991:

Stacey Abrams Stacey Yvonne Abrams (; born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member ...

– politician, lawyer, voting rights activist and author *1994:

Omar Dorsey Omar J. Dorsey (born December 22, 1975) is an American actor. He has appeared in films '' The Blind Side'' (2009), ''Django Unchained'' (2012), and ''Selma'' (2014) playing James Orange. In 2016, Dorsey began starring as Hollingsworth "Hollywo ...

– movie actor DeKalb School of the Arts 2000–present * 2002:

Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...

– writer, director, comedian, actor, rapper, record producer under the name

Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...

* 2004: Lloyd – R&B singer *2007: Shonica Gooden – Broadway actress *2007:

Myles Grier Myles Grier is a Nigerian American film, television, and stage actor. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Career Grier has acted in FOX's ''Lethal Weapon'', NBC's '' Game of Silence'', Freeform's '' The Fosters'', NBC's ''Aquarius'' ...

– TV actor, producer, writer *2014:

Yung Baby Tate Tate Sequoya Farris (born May 13, 1996), known professionally as Baby Tate (formerly known as Yung Baby Tate), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. The daughter of singer Dionne Farris, she released her debut project, ...

– rapper, singer, and record producer

Film location

*The interior of Madison High in Madison, Delaware from ''

Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...

''. *Season 1 of CW's ''

Black Lightning Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in ''Black Lightning'' #1 (April 1977), during ...

'' *Eric Nuetzel Middle School and hospital scenes in Apple TV's upcoming series ''Houston'' *An NBC pilot episode coming out in 2023

References

External links

DeKalb School of the Arts

DSA on Instagram

DSA on Facebook

DSA on YouTube

DSA on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekalb School Of The Arts Magnet schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Educational institutions established in 1999 DeKalb County School District high schools 1999 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)