In December 2019, the City of Norfolk School Board passed a resolution to provide funding and guidance to shape the future of the historic Booker T. Washington High School. The School Board seeks “to ensure that Booker T. Washington High School has a vibrant and competitive Academy that will retain and attract a diverse group of students from across the city.”

To move forward on that direction from the School Board, Norfolk Public Schools hired HBA Architects to conduct a Feasibility Study. The goal of this study is to review the current instruction programs and the spaces that house them, consider the current and future goals of teaching and learning and the school’s curriculum, and define what spaces and structures are needed to support a modern, comprehensive high school and an innovative Academy of the Arts program. This study of programming and infrastructure will lead to “educational specifications” that responds to future educational changes, potential programmatic growth, and community partnerships, and will serve as a communication and benchmarking tool for all project stakeholders: students, parents, and families; faculty and administrators; civic leaders and community members; and potential project design and construction partners. 

A comprehensive study of the school’s academic programs and how they align with the current physical structure has not been conducted since the opening of the existing structure in 1974. In 2018, the School Board voted to maintain the present location and name of Booker T. Washington High School.

School Board Phase 1 feasibility study resolution