Duke Ellington School of the Arts

What Duke Ellington School of the Arts does

Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DESA) is a public high school located at 3500 R Street NW in Washington, DC, operated by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) system. Founded in 1974 and nearing its 50th anniversary, the school offers a dual curriculum that combines rigorous college-preparatory academics with pre-professional arts training. It is the only public high school in DC offering this specific combined model, and serves high-school-age students and their families seeking integrated academic and arts education.

The school delivers eight distinct pre-professional arts programs — Cinematic Arts & Media Production, Dance, Instrumental Music, Museum Studies, Technical Design & Production, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music — alongside college-preparatory academic departments covering English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, World Languages, Health & P.E., and Specialized Instruction. Prospective students are admitted through an application and audition process. As a public school, there is no tuition for DC residents; student fees may apply for materials, supplies, and activities. The school's operations are supplemented by the Ellington Fund, a separate nonprofit organization that raises private philanthropic support for school programs and initiatives.

The institution maintains an active presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, and LinkedIn, alongside an email newsletter, and engages in ongoing fundraising and community events. The current leadership structure, enrollment size, operating budget, and detailed financials are not disclosed in the available data; no AI/ML capabilities, commercial products, or venture-style growth signals are associated with the institution.

Name

Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Legal name

Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Website

https://ellingtonschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a DC public high school, founded in 1974, offering the only dual college-preparatory and pre-professional arts curriculum in the district across eight arts disciplines, serving Washington, DC students tuition-free.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a DC public high school delivering a dual curriculum that combines rigorous college-preparatory academics with pre-professional arts training. It offers eight distinct arts programs — Dance, Instrumental Music, Cinematic Arts & Media Production, Museum Studies, Technical Design & Production, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music — alongside academic departments in English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, World Languages, Health & P.E., and Specialized Instruction. Admission is via application and audition, with no tuition for DC residents.

Product overview

Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DESA) operates as a single unified educational institution offering a dual curriculum that combines rigorous college-preparatory academics with pre-professional arts training. The school provides eight distinct arts programs: Cinematic Arts & Media Production, Dance, Instrumental Music, Museum Studies, Technical Design & Production, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music. These arts programs function as the core pre-professional training components, complemented by comprehensive academic departments covering English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, World Languages, Health & P.E., and Specialized Instruction. Together, these offerings create a one-of-a-kind institution where students pursue both their artistic passions and academic excellence simultaneously.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cinematic Arts & Media Production Pre-professional training in film, video production, and media arts combined with the academic curriculum, for DESA high school students.
• Dance Pre-professional dance training as part of the dual curriculum combining arts and academics, for DESA high school students.
• Instrumental Music Pre-professional training in instrumental music performance and musicianship, for DESA high school students.
• Museum Studies Pre-professional training in museum curation, exhibition design, and arts administration, for DESA high school students.
• Technical Design & Production Pre-professional training in technical theatre, stage design, and production management, for DESA high school students.
• Theatre Pre-professional training in theatrical performance, acting, and dramatic arts, for DESA high school students.
• Visual Arts Pre-professional training in visual arts including drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital media, for DESA high school students.
• Vocal Music Pre-professional training in vocal performance, music theory, and choral techniques, for DESA high school students.
• College-Preparatory Academics Rigorous college-preparatory academic curriculum covering English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, World Languages, Health & P.E., and Specialized Instruction, for DESA high school students.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts: The flagship public arts high school in New York City, LaGuardia offers dual academic and pre-professional arts training across visual art, instrumental music, vocal music, dance, and theatre. It is the closest U.S. peer to DESA in mission, structure, and selective admissions model.
• Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA): A Philadelphia public magnet high school delivering college-preparatory academics alongside pre-professional arts programs in dance, instrumental and vocal music, theatre, visual arts, and creative writing. Operates the same public-magnet-arts model as DESA.
• New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA): A Louisiana public arts conservatory serving high schoolers with pre-professional training in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, culinary arts, and other creative disciplines. Comparable to DESA as a regional public arts high school with selective audition-based admissions.
• Boston Arts Academy (BAA): Boston's only public high school for the arts, providing college-preparatory academics with pre-professional instruction in dance, instrumental and vocal music, theatre, and visual arts. Closely comparable to DESA as a city-level public arts high school.
• Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA): A California public magnet high school providing college-prep academics alongside pre-professional arts tracks in dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and cinematic arts. Closely mirrors DESA's dual-curriculum public magnet model on the West Coast.
• San Francisco School of the Arts (Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts): A San Francisco Unified public high school combining college-preparatory academics with pre-professional arts training across multiple disciplines including dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and media arts. Directly comparable in public-magnet-arts model.
• Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA): A Baltimore City public magnet high school that combines college-preparatory academics with pre-professional training in dance, film, instrumental and vocal music, theatre, and visual arts. Operates the same public-magnet + arts-specialty model as DESA on a similar regional scale.
• Frank Sinatra School of the Arts: A NYC public high school dedicated to the arts, offering pre-professional training in dance, film, instrumental music, vocal music, theatre, and visual arts alongside a college-prep curriculum. Directly comparable to DESA in mission and program structure.
• Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA): A HISD public magnet high school offering rigorous academics paired with pre-professional training in dance, instrumental and vocal music, theatre, visual art, and creative writing. Directly comparable to DESA in structure and program breadth.

Emerging players

• Interlochen Arts Academy: A private boarding high school in Michigan focused on arts training across music, theatre, dance, visual arts, and creative writing. Different ownership model (private residential vs. DESA's public day school), but overlaps as a national magnet for arts-focused high school students.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DukeEllingtonDC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/dukeellingtonmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/DukeEllingtonDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duke-ellington-school-of-the-arts
• Instagraminstagram.com/dukeellingtondc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Duke Ellington School of the Arts