The School
Some interesting facts about BTW Magnet High School:
-
BTW is the only non-residential arts-focused high school in the state of Alabama.
-
BTW has been named the #2 high school in the city of Montgomery and #7 in the state of Alabama in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best High Schools” Ranking 2021.
-
BTW offers a wide array of AP and advanced academic classes
-
BTW alumni have successful careers in business, medicine, the sciences, research, communications, IT and many other fields, in addition to the many who have been successful in the arts.
-
BTW students receive admissions and scholarship offers from a diverse list of colleges and universities from local to Ivy League.
-
BTW receives NO Title 1 funding, unlike the majority of traditional schools in Montgomery. In addition, there is no longer any “magnet” funding offered on the federal or local level.
History
Booker T. Washington High School began in early 1865 as a primary school for African Americans. The first graduation exercises were held May 25, 1904. The school grew rapidly to the extent that in 1916 an additional building was erected at Union and Grove Streets.
In 1937, plans were made to open a senior high. A thirty-room unit was constructed after several of the original structures were demolished in 1948. A 123-foot underground tunnel was developed to connect each side of the campus. The adjoining auditorium-gymnasium was constructed in 1954.
In 1956, Booker T. Washington became a high school, and is now a public, inner-city magnet program that serves students in Montgomery, Alabama. BTW in it's modern form, was derived from the Carver Creative and Performing Arts Center (CCPAC, which was developed in 1982 to accommodate the growing need for specialized arts instruction for students within the Montgomery County School System.
In 1996, a federal grant enabled CCPAC to become a designated magnet school housed on the campus of the old Booker T. Washington School. CCPAC is now joined by the Center for Advanced Technology, the 21st Century Academy for Careers in Law, and the Academy for Communication Arts. Currently, there are 19 components of study within these four magnets.
In August 2018 there was a devastating fire that destroyed the original building, causing the school to temporarily relocate to the old Hayneville Elementary School campus. In 2020 Montgomery Public Schools broke ground on a new location for BTW, after purchasing the former Holy Cross Episcopal School on Bell Road. The project is projected to be complete in 2022.
The administration, faculty, and staff have worked to promote excellence for all students. BTW remains dedicated to the student-created motto "Excellence in All Things," and each student is expected to perform at his or her highest level of ability. Teachers and students recognize the need for the arts in daily life, and all areas of the school emphasize the principles set forth in the Comprehensive Arts Based Instruction (Discipline- and Arts-Based Education).
