At Booker T. Washington High School, we believe in creating an environment where students love to learn, educators inspire, families engage and the community trusts the system. Booker T. Washington High School, named for the famous educator, opened in September 1924 under the auspices of the Atlanta Board of Education, with the late Charles Lincoln Harper as principal. It is the first public high school for African- Americans in the state of Georgia and the Atlanta Public Schools. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1927, the only exact replica of the Booker T. Washington monument at Tuskegee University in Alabama was erected at the school's entrance. The statue of Washington, called "Booker T. Washington Lifting the Veil of Ignorance" by sculptor Charles Keck reads:    "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."

Prior to its transformation in 2009 to small schools, Booker T. Washington High School had been led by nine principals - Mr. Charles Lincoln Harper (1924-1942), Dr. Clinton Cornell (1942-1961), Dr. J. Y. Moreland (1961-1968) Dr. Alvin Dawson(1968-1973), Dr. Robert Collins, Jr. (1973-1990), Dr. Robert Lowe (1990-1994), Dr. Joyce Clark (1994-1996), Dr. Shirley Kilgore (1996-2005), and Mr. Carter E. Coleman, Jr. (2005-2009).

Booker T. Washington High School operated as four small schools within a school from 2009 until 2014. During this time, these leaders took the helm of their respective small school:

• Principal Boris Hurst, Senior Academy
• Principal Tiauna Crooms, Senior Academy
• Principal Charcia Nichols, Banking Finance and Investment
• Principal Vanessa Nason, Early College
• Principal George Rutledge, Early College
• Principal Samuela Scavella, Health, Science and Nutrition

On August 12, 2013, the Atlanta Board of Education passed a resolution restoring Booker T. Washington High School to one comprehensive high school with one principal. Since this resolution, the following principals have served:

Dr. Tasharah Wilson (Fall 2014 - Spring 2018)

Dr. Angela Coaxum-Young  (Fall 2019 - Spring 2022)

Mr. William C. Wade (Fall 2022 - present)

Washington Cluster Mission

The Washington Cluster will continue the legacy of excellence by supporting students in reaching their highest potential through a whole-child and community-centered approach to ensure college and career preparedness.

Washington Cluster Vision

The Washington Cluster utilizes the support of parents and community to inspire, and prepare students to continue the legacy of greatness by becoming active citizens who advocate for their local and global community.

BTW Mission 

Through a caring culture, every legacy builder will graduate ready for life, college, and career.

BTW Vision 

Booker T. Washington High School is an inspired place where character is power and the next generation of legacy builders are learning to impact and expand the beloved community locally and globally.