Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | |
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Address | |
501 South Sapodilla Avenue West Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach 33401 United States |
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Coordinates | 26°42′33″N 80°03′34″W / 26.709197°N 80.059513°WCoordinates: 26°42′33″N 80°03′34″W / 26.709197°N 80.059513°W |
Information | |
Type |
Public Magnet (arts) Secondary (high/9-12) |
Established | 1989 |
School district | Palm Beach County School District |
Superintendent | Robert Avossa |
Principal | Susan Atherley |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 1340 |
Campus | Urban |
Color(s) | Black, White & Gold |
Mascot | Jaguar |
USNWR ranking | 46 (US News) /138 (Newsweek) (2014) |
Yearbook | The Marquee |
Literary Magazine | Seeds |
Newsmagazine | The Muse |
Art Areas | Communication Arts, Dance, Digital Media, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts |
Website | awdsoa.org |
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (DSOA) is a public high school located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Formerly named the Palm Beach County School of the Arts (also known as School of the Arts or SOA), the school was renamed in recognition of a 1997 donation of $1 million by Alexander W. Dreyfoos, Jr., a West Palm Beach philanthropist.
DSOA is administrated by the School District of Palm Beach County, which also provides most of its funding. The school receives supplementary funds for its arts and academics from the School of the Arts Foundation, Inc.,(SOAFI) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
DSOA is designated by the School District of Palm Beach County as a "choice" school. The District's Choice programs, formerly known as magnet schools, were part of a plan by the District in the 1980s to desegregate the county's schools without forced busing that would meet Federal requirements to attract white students schools in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. In subsequent years, federal desegregation requirements eased. The programs became career academies under a rebranded "School Choice" program.
A total enrollment of 1296 diverse student body with 41% minority enrollment and 16% economically disadvantaged is selected from across Palm Beach County through a process of competitive auditions in one of the six art areas.
Students must reside in Palm Beach County, and show proof of that residence when they enroll and re-enroll each year. The majority of students commute to the school from around the county by District buses, by Tri-Rail to the train station across the street on Tamarind Avenue, and by car. A few students live locally and walk or bike to the campus.