KIPP Booker T. Washington High School is the second high school in the KIPP New Orleans network of college-prep charter schools. The school has grown to serve students from grades 9 to 12 and provides high-quality charter seats for 930 students, 91% of whom are projected to be low- income and 25% special education, both higher than the average for New Orleans public schools. Hurricane Katrina irreparably damaged Booker T. Washington’s original facilities. As part of the post-Katrina overhaul of all New Orleans’ school facilities, the Recovery School District is preserving and refurbishing two parts of the historic Booker T. Washington building: the entrance and the 50,000 square-foot auditorium in which legends including Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie performed. The project also includes 150,000 square feet of new construction. The project would not have been possible without $20.25M of New Markets Tax Credit allocation from Civic Builders. The completed school facility is leased to KIPP New Orleans to host two schools in the KIPP New Orleans network: Booker T. Washington High School and Central City Academy Middle School.
