Advocacy

The School Home Association of Duke Ellington (SHADE) supports the educational and artistic mission of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. It serves as a communication, action and advocacy organization that addresses issues of importance to the school, community and our scholar-artists.

SHADE is an all-volunteer organization.

*Illustration courtesy of Duke Ellington School of the Arts*

Our FOunders

Duke Ellington School of the Arts was established in 1974, by noted philanthropist and art collector Peggy Cooper Cafritz (1947-2018), and dancer and choreographer Mike Malone (1943-2006).

Ellington houses the creative soul of the District, and reflects the rich cultural diversity of the United States.

Ellington. DC’s Sole Public Arts High School

For nearly 50 years, Ellington has been the sole public arts high school in the DCPS system. It is a specialized space for scholar-artists. It was intentionally designed to meet the academic needs of its students and the specific acoustic, technological and safety needs of students in eight arts majors: Dance, Instrumental Music, Literary Media & Communications, Museum Studies, Technical Design & Production, Theater, Visual Arts and Vocal Music.

Serving All 8 Wards of DC

Duke Ellington School of the Arts serves students from all 8 Wards of the District of Columbia. Approximately 89% are children of color, and 60% live in Wards 5 to 8. Students are in classes from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM to fulfill their academic and arts requirements. Rehearsals and performances can extend the school day.

Ellington students earn 32 more credits than the average DCPS high school student and graduate with a pre-professional arts endorsed diploma, recognized by colleges and universities worldwide.

Data courtesy of Duke Ellington School of the Arts and DC Public Schools (DCPS).

Ellington Enrollment

Demand has steadily increased over the last several years. School Year 2021-2022 enrollment is projected to exceed 600 students.

FY '22 Budget (School Year 2021-2022)

DCPS has proposed a 2021-2022 school year budget for Ellington of $10.1 million. However, Ellington's projected budget, based on an enrollment of at least 611 students, is $13.1 million. A difference of almost 23%. (Chart figures in millions.)

Student Diversity

Students by Ward

Duke Ellington School of the Arts serves children from all 8 Wards of the District of Columbia. Approximately 60% come from Wards 5 to 8; another 32% from Wards 1 to 4; and 8% come from outside the District.

Where are Ellington Alumni?

Ellington’s alumni include notable artists such as mezzo soprano Denyce Graves, Grammy winning bassist Ben Williams and comedian Dave Chappelle. Ellington has a rich history of changing lives and cultivating artists that leave an impact.

Our alumni are working artists, arts-adjacent professionals and the leadership of arts organizations across the United States. From the stages of Broadway to the movie sets of Hollywood — and everywhere in between — Ellington alumni are there.

The Radical Elite

Watch as Ellington’s Radical Elite Show Band perform during the 2019 Mark Twain Prize ceremony for Ellington alum Dave Chappelle. They are introduced by none other than Morgan Freeman.

Academically Rigorous, Consistent Results & Highly Ranked

Ellington’s extended day, dual-curriculum model is demanding. Approximately 20% of our 9th and 10th graders enter two years, or more, below grade level and 27% of our student population are considered at-risk. Yet our innovative arts-centric educational approach puts them on par with their peers by graduation.

The result is a 99% annual graduation rate (versus the DC average of 70.9%) with 98% going on to an institution of higher learning (versus the DC average of 58.57%). Ellington students are found at some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning including the Berklee School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, New York University and Brown University. On average our students earn $10 million in college scholarships annually, and are frequent recipients of the Trachtenberg Scholarship, which covers 4 years of tuition at George Washington University.

A shining example of the capabilities of DC Public Schools, Ellington is consistently ranked among the District of Columbia’s best high schools, public or private. Most recently Ellington was ranked #5 in District of Columbia High Schools and #4 in District of Columbia Public High Schools (U.S. News & World Report L.P., 2020).